


Discovering Vina

by wanderingsami



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe RPF, Sebastian Stan-Fandom
Genre: Dancing, F/M, Family Fluff, FilipinaAmericanOFC, Fluff and Smut, Food, Humor, Interracial Relationship, Long-Distance Relationship, Physical Therapy, Romance, Slow Build, ten year age difference
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-01
Updated: 2016-08-28
Packaged: 2018-07-11 13:38:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 66,050
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7054024
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wanderingsami/pseuds/wanderingsami
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It is the beginning of summer 2017 and Vina del Torres is a newly licensed physical therapist and graduate of University of Southern California. She is hired by the premier sports rehab/training facility, Vitality Motion. In her first experience in the ‘real world’, Vina meets Sebastian Stan during the filming of Avengers: Infinity War, Part 1. As they get to know each other, Vina and Sebastian develop a great, friendly relationship. Will the fate of their friendship evolve to something more?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Time He Got Hit by a Frisbee

**Author's Note:**

> *DISCLAIMER: Vina is a fictional character. I do not personally know Sebastian Stan nor do I ‘own’ him. I do not own Marvel. These factors are merely used to provide a fictional basis for the story. Any similarity that may possibly occur is a coincidence.  
> Author’s Notes: This is my first fanfic, so any constructive praise/criticism is appreciated. Please comment/like/reblog to let me know if you would like to see more chapters. My plan is to update 1 chapter/week, more or less depending on my schedule. Happy reading! xo

**CHAPTER 1**

**~Vina's POV~**

I absolutely cannot believe it, I survived USC'S Doctor of Physical Therapy program AND  graduated summa cum laude in my class! As a first generation college graduate and Filipino-American, this accomplishment comes with great honor to myself and family, or course. Even with the grueling hours of studying for Neuro-Anatomy and challenging lab practicals, I was able to gain a new found appreciation for this profession through my fulfilling experiences during my clinical internships as a student physical therapist.

I am currently sitting in my humble abode (and by this I mean tiny apartment) catching up of the latest season of Orphan Black. My roommate, Nicole, is also sitting next to me clutching the customary bowl of chips and guacamole. Nicole is also my best friend and fellow physical therapist.  We met at USC's DPT orientation and completely bonded over our mutual love (some would call it obsession, but I digress) of Marvel and running. Ever since, we have been inseparable; she was my study partner throughout the DPT program and binge watch buddy. We both have a week to relax before we start our new jobs as physical therapists. Nicole will be continuing her studies at USC completing their pediatric residency program, while also working at their medical center. I am on a similar route, but have been accepted into Vitality Motion's Orthopedic Residency program. Vitality Motion is the premier facility for sports rehabilitation and athletic training center in Los Angeles. Because of its reputation, Vitality Motion caters to athletes, celebrities, and stunt doubles. How did I manage to get into their orthopedic residency program, might you ask? Well let me tell you, but first allow me to provide some background as to how I was able to work with this wonderful facility.

In the third year of the DPT program at USC, we are required to complete two 16 week internships of an approved physical therapy clinic. Since one of these internships had to be 50 miles outside of Los Angeles, I did my first internship at USCF Medical Center in San Francisco at the pediatric physical therapy department. Because of my location, my family was particularly excited since I was close to home and could have dinner with them every week.  My second internship took place here in Los Angeles, at Vitality Motion. This assignment was lucky on my part, because it was the top facility that most of my classmates wanted, especially the guys. The way the internships are assigned is based on a lottery system based on your GPA. The higher your GPA, the more variety of internships you get to choose from. Since my GPA  was high enough to get on the top 3, I chose Vitality Motion because of their physical therapy staff and advancements in the field, NOT because of their high profile clients.

On my first day of internship at Vitality Sports, I was blown away by the pristine environment: the physical therapy clinic had all the latest technology including a running gait analysis lab (which I almost cried when I first saw it), the gym where the clients and patients train and work out in. What really impacted me was not the equipment, but how the staff (both medical and fitness) collaborated with each other to create individualized rehab/training plans for each client and patient. During my time here, it felt as though I became part of a family that was encouraging and friendly as it was professional. While I did come into contact with some high profile clients (sorry, can't name anyone because of patient confidentiality), it was the atmosphere that motivated my to apply to their orthopedic residency program. I guess the staff and patients valued my time there because I found out about my program acceptance the day after I graduated from USC (best graduating gift ever!)

After binge watching Orphan Black and devouring the chips and guac, I still had a lot of energy and needed to go on a run.

"Nicole! Go on a run with me!" I exclaimed, reluctantly changing our of my pajamas and into my running capris and shirt.

"Ughh but whyyy?! We just ate and I'm feeling lazy!" She whined, not getting up from the couch.

"Come on, we'll jog and we can treat ourselves to some ice cream if we find the Cool Haus truck!" I said, pulling on my trusty  turquoise Mizuno running shoes.

"OK, ya got me there- hold on, lemme change real quick!" Nicole said, running to her room to change.

4 miles into our run, Nicole and I were both struggling BIG time: we were running on the sand along the warm Santa Monica shores, with the sun beating down on our red, sweaty faces.

"OMG Vina, why do I always give in to these runs?!" Nicole exclaimed.

"I have NO idea, but look on the bright side, I see the Cool Haus truck!" I said happily.

Nicole, as if on que and forgetting her previous complaint, challenged, "Last one there has to pay for the ice cream sandwiches!" her eyes darting towards mine, as if to dare me.

I looked at the Cool Haus truck and its distance from us and estimated that the distance was about 100 meters away. I felt confident and agreed, "You are so on!" And from that point we sprinted as if our lives depended on it but not really, it's just that we are both broke college grads that like to live frugally. Cool Haus was a treat for us because of our past graduation.

I had a fast start and was leading the first 50 meters, but all the chips I ate gave me a stomach cramp. Nicole saw me slowly down and really took off past me. Mind you this whole situation was not a silent race, we were both laughing so this caused quite a scene on the relatively quiet beach. The beach was not empty per say, there was a group of guys playing ultimate frisbee that definitely stopped to watch me and Nicole race. Why the stopped is beyond me because Nicole and I were the total opposite of a sexy Baywatch scene. We were both red-faced, hysterical ladies sprinting across the beach. The description of crazy twenty four year old women running to an ice cream truck is pretty accurate.

By this time, Nicole was already at the truck, waiting in line, laughing hysterically at me. I finished 80 meters of the race and spent the rest of the 20 meters doing some dynamic stretches and walked over to Nicole.

"Damn girl, I am so out of shape- I can't even sprint a 100m like I used to!" I said to Nicole.

"HAHA that's because you are a distance runner and I'm a sprinter!" Nicole said proudly.

"Too true!" I said, happy that it was our turn to order.

Nicole and I settled on a bench on the dock overlooking the beach and contently ate our ice cream sandwiches. Whenever we did this, it was routine to people watch and make up their background stories.  Since the only interesting people at this time were the guys playing ultimate frisbee, we focused our descriptions on them.

I went first and described the first man I saw. He was tall probably about 6'0, had a toned body, wearing red swimming trunks, and had on sunglasses. What struck me the most was that this man was slightly pale in comparison to the LA aesthetic to being well tanned and having blond hair. This man had dark brown hair, pulled into a tiny man bun. This intrigued me because this was the same man I smiled at while I walked over to the dock.

"He was staring at you when you were making your way over ya know" Nicole said to me, disturbing my thoughts.

"Huh? Well I guess that makes sense since you beat me" I teased.

"Yeah, he got hit by the frisbee staring at you!" Nicole chuckled.

"Oh my goodness, that is super embarrassing and I feel so bad, I must have looked like a crazy lady running for ice cream!" I joked.

"Well if you feel so bad, you should probably go over and apologize for looking hysterical and distracting" Nicole thoughtfully said.

"Nah, I mean it wasn't exactly my fault, HE was not paying attention!" I reasoned.

"Ok true, can we please go back to our apartment, I'm so tired" Nicole asked.

"Yes, I am in desperate need of a shower" I agreed. Nicole an I got off our bench and walked the 2 mile shortcut back to our apartment.

**~Sebastian's POV~**

"What a perfect day to play ultimate frisbee" I thought to myself. I am currently at Santa Monica beach playing with my college buddies from Rutgers. It was the first time in years that I was able to meet up with them, due to my packed filming schedule. I had some down time today to relax and my friends were down in LA for mutual friend's wedding. We were one of the few people on the beach, which surprised me because it was such a perfect day, it was sunny and warm, but not scorching hot.  As we were playing ultimate frisbee, we hear girls laughing. We stop playing for a bit to see where is is coming from, and we come to find that the laughter is from two ladies in their twenties racing across the beach.

"Damn, those girls are hella fast!" my friend Gary exclaimed, ogling the two ladies racing across the beach.

"Jesus Gary, stop it with the ogling! You're married!" I exclaimed.

"I know and I adore my wife, it's just that it's rare to see two ladies engaged in friendly competition nowadays" Gary explained.

"Whatever you say man!" I said.

"Out of all of us present, you are the one that should be staring Seb- you are 34 years old and _STILL_ single!" my other buddy James exclaimed.

"Yeah man, go ask one of them out, I dare you!" my friend Ethan said.

"Aw come on guys, I love being single!" I said

"Oh my god, stop being such a drama king! We'll let it go man!" James said. We continued to play frisbee and I couldn't help but feel a little lonely. Out of my group here, I was the only one left single. One of the young ladies was entering my peripheral vision and I couldn't help but stare.  Her other friend, the red head was ahead, making her way to the Cool Haus truck. This girl, 15 ft in front of me, was so captivating. She had long black hair that was pulled back into an intricate braid. She had beautiful tan skin and shapely, strong, athletic legs outlined by her running leggings. She was doing some stretches and made her way over to the dock. As if she felt my stare, she turned around, looked into my  blue eyes with her dark brown eyes, smiled and returned to her friend. Her smile and first impression did things to me that I've never experienced with another person before. It is as if the world stopped and I felt her smile light up my soul.  At the exact moment she made her way over, before I had the chance to return her smile, the frisbee crashed into my chest.

"JESUS SEB PAY ATTENTION!" Ethan yelled.

"Are you okay Seb?!" James and Gary laughed.

"Yeah, I'm fine guys!" I said, reluctantly returning my focus to the my friends.

"What happened? It was like you were in another universe.." Gary said knowingly.

"I think I met the love of my life and I don't even know her name" I exclaimed sadly.

"You mean the girl _you_ were ogling at before the frisbee hit you?" Ethan asked, laughingly.

"Yes." I said embarrassingly.

"Well, Seb they _are_ still sitting at the bench on the dock. You need to  introduce yourself, you'll regret it if you don't!" James exclaimed proudly.

"I will!" I said. As I ran over across the dock, I looked over to the bench and sadly found that the mystery girl and her friend were nowhere to be found.

  



	2. The Time They Were Introduced (Vina's POV)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains anatomical content, due to OFC'S profession. It's nothing graphic, but terms are explained.

**CHAPTER 2**

**~Vina’s POV~**

The blaring sound of my phone alarm woke me up on this Monday morning. I turned over to silence my 6 A.M alarm and did my morning stretches on my fluffy, queen sized bed. Some would say that I am absolutely delusional in waking up this early, but I find it completely normal. After 11 years of running competitively throughout middle school, high school, and college, waking up this early has become part of my internal clock, it just comes by naturally. It also doesn’t hurt that I am a total morning bird, I love the mornings and breakfast foods. My morning routine consists of a 10 minute out and back run, foam rolling, and making breakfast. This usually takes about an hour and then I shower, get ready, and am ready to take on the day. As I am in the kitchen about to make my breakfast, Nicole is getting her bag ready about to leave to start her pediatric residency at USC Medical Center. In fact, we are both starting our residencies today. I am starting my orthopedic residency at Vitality Motion and I am uncontrollably excited. 

“Vi, I’m heading out now! Good luck today and have fun!”, Nicole says happily, waving at me.

“Alrighty, same to you! Let’s meet at Versailles later for a celebratory dinner!”, I exclaim.

“Definitely! I LOVE that place”, Nicole says, leaving our apartment.

Versailles is a wonderful Cuban restaurant located in Venice, CA and it is about a 20 minute drive from our place. Their chicken is mouthwatering and their yuca fries are out of this world amazing. Versailles is the perfect place to end any day. 

Walking out of the shower, I put on the basic physical therapist uniform: either khaki are dark pants (today I chose black pants), a striped grey blouse, and my black flats. The clinic attire is business casual from Monday through Thursday. On casual Fridays, we usually wear jeans and Vitality Motion T-shirts or polos. This is another thing I love about my job, I get to wear clothes that are both professional and allow me to move. I comb out my long hair and let it air dry and put on moisturizer on my face. I settle for a subtle winged eyeliner and tinted lip balm. By now, you may notice that I am an extremely low maintenance gal and like to keep things simple. That’s how I roll and would not have it any other way!

 I grab my backpack and leave my apartment at around 8 o’clock. I enter my car and set up my driving playlist. I like to think my car matches my personality; I have a Scion iQ that is dark violet and resembles a Smart car in appearance but seats 4 people. Both my personality and Rita (my car) are cute on the outside but are bold when engaged in. The drive from the apartment to Vitality Motion takes about 30 minutes, when traffic is tolerable. Since I start my work day at 9:15 A.M, I have ample time to get to the clinic. 

I arrive at the clinic and put my stuff in the staff lounge. It’s 9 o’clock now and I have a little downtime before my day officially starts. Since the clinic is right next to the gym/training center, the facility is always bustling with clients and patients. It isn’t as busy this morning, but I have a feeling that it’ll pick up after lunch. With the rest of my 15 minutes, I walk over to the training center to check out the new equipment that was installed when ended my internship here. My preceptor told me that they expanded their running gait analysis lab by adding a Cybex machine. For you non-PT majors,  Cybex machine is computerized and allows you to measure muscle/force output (among other things) on virtually any major muscle group of the human body. This is particularly exciting because Vitality Motion is in talks with USC to open a collaborative research center here. The plan is to have the research center inside the training facility because of the amount of space available. 

“Hey Vina! What are you doing here? It’s good to see your face!” Steve, one of the stunt choreographers, asks kindly.

“Hiya Steve! I’m starting my orthopedic residency here today! What film are you working on now?” I ask warmly.

“Wow, congrats! I am working on Avengers 3, we are about 2 weeks into fight training.” Steve explains.

“Ah I see, well I gotta get back to the clinic. I’ll definitely be seeing you around!” I say.

“Yes, you should come visit us here during your lunch breaks, we would love the company!” Steve laughs.

“I definitely will!” I say, returning back next door to the clinic.

After a warm welcome back from the physical therapy staff, I take on my first patient of the day: an elderly male in his late 60s that is in for a shoulder injury after taking a brutal fall on his left shoulder. I ask him about his medical history, how he fell, and begin my objective assessment by doing some muscle testing. This provides me with a basic foundation of range of motion stats I can use throughout the rehab process. During my examination, I suspect that he has a rotator cuff tear. The rotator cuff refers to the group of muscles (supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor, and subscapularis) that make up the shoulder joint. In my notes I write “possible tear to the supraspinatus and some involvement of the infraspinatus” because of the lack to raise his arm up and keep it there and no external rotation. I explain my rehab plan to my patient and refer him back to his doctor to get a confirmed diagnosis of the rotator cuff tear. I go over this case with my residency mentor and boss, Dr. Cathy Morrison DPT, and she agrees with my plan of action.

“Great work Vina! I can’t wait to see the great things you’ll accomplish during your time here, the clinic could really use a bright individual like you!” Cathy says proudly.

“Thank you so much Cathy! I am really glad and thankful to work at this clinic again. The people here are my second family!” I enthusiastically exclaim.

For the rest of the morning, work with three different patients, all coming back to the clinic after  ACL repair surgery. Cathy accompanies me with these patients and teaches me different techniques and approaches for each patient. After working with my last patient of the morning, I take my lunch break and head to the courtyard that is in between the clinic and training center. I notice the Monday food truck that is here today and order my fish tacos. 

“Oh my, is that you Vina?!” a man’s voice breaks my thoughts. I turn around and I see the one and only, Chris Evans staring happily at me, with outstretched arms. 

“Chris! It’s so nice see you again!” I say, giving him a hug. Chris and I met here at the facility when I did my internship and he was working on an action film (non-Marvel). We hit it off pretty well and we have a big brother- little sister type of relationship. This is the first time I’ve seen him since my internship.

“Steve told me you were here and I just couldn’t believe it!” Chris said.

“Yeah, that’s understandable, considering how much of a prankster he is. I am here doing my orthopedic residency.” I exclaim.

“That’s amazing!” Chris says. We eat our lunch together and start to catch up with me explaining how my family was and Chris explaining his first directing experience. During our conversation, another male voice says “Chris! Man I told you to WAIT for me!” Chris and I both look over, Chris seeing his friend, Sebastian Stan, and me seeing the guy on the beach. 

“Come on Seb, you _ knew  _ I was starving!” Chris whined. Sebastian and I just stared shyly at each other. Chris, noticing the slightly awkward aura, said, “I am such a meatball! Vina this is Seb and Seb this is Vina. Seb, Vina is a physical therapist here at the clinic next door and she is also like a sister to me,” Chris said gesturing to Sebastian and me. 

“Yeah Chris, we sort of met informally and the beach yesterday,” Sebastian said and I nodded agreeingly.  

“Well, now that I  _ formally  _ introduced you guys, you can catch up! I have to go back to the gym to work on the fight sequence.” Chris said slyly as he walked away.

“He is up to something, I can see it in his eyes!” I said to Sebastian, laughingly.

“Chris is crazy. I just can’t believe I finally know your name! I was on my way over to talk to you yesterday at the dock, but you and your friend had already left!” Sebastian said smiling at me.

“Oh really? Sorry about that Sebastian! It was getting late and my roommate still had to run back to our place.” I said smiling back at him.

“Please call me Seb!” he said. We talked about our relationship to Chris and how it was weird that he never introduced us until now. 

“Oh man, I gotta get back to the clinic since my lunch break ends soon!” I said looking at my watch.

“I gotta get back to the training center. I look forward to seeing you around!” Sebastian replied.

“Likewise!” I said waving off as I walked back to the clinic. My predictions were correct, the clinic had gotten busier when I returned. My patients were more diverse in terms of amount and types of injury. By the time my last patient left, I had a ton of evaluation notes to type up and enter in our system. Looking at the time and realizing that I wouldn’t be able to meet Nicole at Versailles, I called the restaurant and placed our usual order. I then texted my roommate:

**_Vina, 5 p.m:_ ** _Hey Nicole! I have a ton of paperwork to finish at the clinic so I ordered food for dinner.  Can you pick it up at Versailles?_

**_Nicole, 5:01 p.m:_ ** _Sure! I’ll see ya at home!_

**_Vina, 5:02 p.m:_ ** _Thanks! I’ll probably be home in 30 min_

I finished my paperwork for the day and drove back home. As I entered my apartment, I was welcomed with the delicious aroma of yuca fries and grilled chicken. Nicole and I caught each other up on our day. I told her about what happened during my lunch break and her reaction was interesting to say the least. First, she demanded that I introduce her to Chris Evans, which I agreed to. Second, she confessed, “I sense something special is gonna happen between you and Seb, I can feel it.” I smiled back, hopeful that Seb and I were going to be great friends. 

 


	3. The Time They Were Introduced (Sebastian's POV)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter includes Sebastian’s POV of the events in Chapter 2 and Vina’s POV at the end of the chapter. Special character appearances include: Anthony Mackie, Paul Rudd, and Jeremy Renner.

**CHAPTER 3**

**~Sebastian’s POV~**

Monday morning and the fitness grind continues. I have just run 3 miles on the beach and it was great. Morning beach runs are a rare occurrence for me since I live in SoHo in New York City. I am in LA this summer and fall to film Avengers: Infinity Wars along with my best friend and Captain America, Chris Evans. Chris insisted that I stay in his guest room of his Malibu beach house during my stay here. The location of his place is what sealed the decision for me. To be completely honest though, I was hoping I’d run into the mystery girl during my run but sadly, I didn’t. 

As I was walking back to the beach house, Chris calls out to me “Seb, they switched our call times so we don’t have to be on set until later, apparently we have a night shoot.” 

“Sounds good man!” I reply, heading into the kitchen to make my green breakfast smoothie. Chris and I are two weeks into fight training and our strict diets of chicken and vegetables have started. We have started training at a new facility called Vitality Motion, a dual training center/gym and physical therapy clinic. I have never trained here but Chris has and he claims that they are the best in the business. In addition to morning cardio 3 times a week, my personal trainer has me on an insane strength training schedule along with fight training 6 days a week. Chris’s schedule is similar to mine but he also has a gymnastics/parkour component added to his training. 

“Hey Chris, we should leave now if we want to get to the training center on time!” I shout from the kitchen.

“Yep, I just need to get my stuff ready!” Chris exclaims. We both leave the beach house and Chris drives us over to Vitality Motion in his Tesla. LA traffic wasn’t too bad this morning and we got to the gym in 20 minutes. As we entered the training facility, Chris and I were greeted by Steve, the head stunt choreographer. 

“Chris! You’ll never believe who I saw just now!” Steve yelled. I looked at Chris curiously.

“Your momma!” Chris replied jokingly.

“Jesus, shut up! But seriously, I just saw Vina 10 minutes ago! She graduated from USC and is doing her orthopedic residency here!” Steve said animatedly.

“Holy shit! I forgot that she graduated last month! Oh man, I feel like such a meatball, I didn’t call her or anything..” Chris mumbled sadly.

“Well, she’ll be around throughout our time here. You’ll probably run into her today.” Steve said hopefully as he patted Chris’s shoulder and walked away.

“Who’s Vina? One of your exes?” I asked.

“Hell no! Vina is the sweetest and most genuine girl I’ve met here. She was working here as an intern in the physical therapy clinic while I have training here for the last movie I did. We became good friends!.” Chris explained happily.

“If she’s so great, why haven’t I met her yet?” I replied half-jokingly.

“I honestly don’t know, both of our schedules have been busy. I actually haven’t seen her since she ended her internship here.” Chris said.

“I see, well I can’t wait to meet her! She seems awesome!” I say.

“She is! Hopefully we’ll run into her today!” Chris exclaims as we exit the locker room and enter the gym to practice our fight sequences.

 

_ 3 hours later _

“Seb, I’m starving! There’s a food truck out in the courtyard!” Chris called out to me, finishing his set.

“Ok, I’ll catch up! I wanna finish my set!” I yelled out to him. Chris didn’t hear me, he was most likely excited to run into his friend Vina. 

“That is such an interesting name, Vina, I’ve never met someone with that name”, I thought to myself as I returned to the 30 pound dumbbells to the weight rack. I strolled out of the training center and into the courtyard to find Chris. I brought my lunch of chicken breasts and asparagus with me. I saw Chris sitting at a table talking animatedly with a girl. As I walked closer, I realized that the girl he was talking to was the mystery girl I saw at the beach yesterday. I was a little shocked and confused so I called out his name. Chris and the mystery girl looked over in my direction and they both smiled, waving me over to them. 

“Seb, this is Vina. Vina this is Seb!” Chris chimed, gesturing to us. After pleasantries were said, Chris noticed the awkward air and realized that Vina was the girl I met yesterday at the beach. Being the sly guy that he is, Chris said that he was needed back at the gym, leaving Vina and I alone. We bonded over the fact that Chris is crazy and mischievous and our conversation soared from there. We talked about what happened at the beach yesterday. As Vina spoke, I couldn’t help but notice the natural twinkle in her brown eyes and how calm and friendly she seemed. This was a nice surprise because she talking to me, Sebastian ,the person instead of Sebastian Stan, the actor. I was just about to ask her for her number but then she glanced down at her watch and announced that she had to go back to the clinic, since her lunch break had ended. We said our goodbyes and as she walked back to the clinic, I admired her long dark brown hair cascading down to her lower back. Vina is a stark contrast to the past women I have dated. Among the fair skin, blonde haired, insecure women, Vina’s long dark brown hair and carefree personality shines out against them. 

“Seb you okay? You looked like you were in a daze..” Chris asked as I walked into the gym.

“I’m fine! Thanks for leaving me to fend for myself bro!” I teased.

“Whaaat?! Vi is the coolest person!” Chris gushed.

“Yeah, she’s different and I like it!” I stated.

“Definitely! She’s just so down to earth, is into sports, and has the coolest job ever!” Chris exclaimed.

“So Chris, uh, is she single?” I asked quietly. Chris laughed at me and responded, “Woah Seb, calm yourself, this is a friend we’re talking about! But now that I think about it, I’m pretty sure Vi is single. When we spoke earlier, she mentioned that she and her boyfriend in college split but she didn’t really say why.”

“Hmm, that’s good to know,” I replied thoughtfully. Chris gave me her phone number since I forgot to get it earlier and we made our way home after a long, tiring day of training. 

Back at the beach house, Chris was grilling the chicken and corn on the patio deck and I was lounging on the leather couch in the living room. Since it was only 7 in the evening, Chris decided to make a guys night at his place and invited Mackie, Rudd, and Renner over. “Apparently this night was Team Cap only”, I thought. My mind was preoccupied with what to write in my first text to Vina. I know what you are all thinking, I am a 35 year old actor, I should be able to do this no sweat. Normally I would have no trouble with this at all, but there is something about Vina that makes this situation unique. The reason why I am nervous is that I don’t want to make a fool of myself, even through text. Although Vina is a down to earth person, she is also highly educated; she has a fucking doctorate degree and is only 24 (I badgered Chris with basic questions on the ride home) and I am sitting here playing make believe for a living. I would be lying if I said Vina doesn’t intimidate me, it’s the opposite in fact, her beauty and brains create the perfect combination of intimidation. The ringing of the doorbell interrupted my thoughts and it was followed by the banging of the door.

“Chris! Seb! Team Cap is HERE!” Mack Attack shouted loudly.

“Coming!” I yelled back walking over to the front door.

“That’s what she said!” Renner howled with laughter as I opened the door.

“That joke never gets old with you!” I replied, letting them in. “Go out to the deck guys, Chris is grilling!”

“I brought beer and Mackie brought quinoa,” Rudd exclaimed.

“Perfect, just put it on the table outside,” I replied. 

After exchanging greetings and jokes, we all settled around the patio table and began eating our dinner. We shared stories of our training so far, upcoming filming schedules, and families. As they were talking, I was looking down at my phone, still trying to figure out the perfect first text.

“Vina is officially back guys!” Chris beamed happily.

“Man are you serious?! You better not be joking Chris!” Renner exclaimed, with Rudd nodding in agreement. 

“Ditto, you best not be be playin’ Captain Little Ass!” Anthony chimed. Returning my attention back to their conversation, I asked “Am I the only one that did not know Vina until today?!” 

“YES!” stated the whole table. 

“Vina helped me recover from my back injury,” Rudd explained.

“She co-created my strengthening plan with Dr. Morrison,” Renner added.

“Unlike these injured old men, Vina comped me tickets to a couple USC football games, seats were amazing bro!” Anthony happily reminisced. 

“Vina graduated and is doing her orthopedic residency at Vitality Motion,” Chris explained to the guys, who praised loudly with high fives. “It looks like our own Seb is smitten with her!” Chris cheerily teased.

“Seb, I am truly happy for you man, finally moving on from Margarita. But if you do so much as to hurt Vina, even unintentionally, I will END you!!!” Anthony demanded.

“We won’t be friends anymore!” Rudd and Renner added.

“Seriously Seb, I am happy for you but please don’t hurt Vina, she’s like my little sister!” Chris acknowledged.

“I understand and would never do such a thing,” I explained “But seriously guys, calm down- I haven’t even asked her out on a proper date yet!”

“Well get on it!” the guys shouted loudly. With the help of Team Cap, I made the perfect first text, it is Team Cap approved of course (although Chris was not really comfortable because of his relationship with Vina, so he turned in early for the night). Here is the text:

**_Seb, 9:45 p.m:_ ** _ Hi Vina, this is Seb! After our short meeting today, I got your number from Chris-I hope that’s okay! I was wondering if you would like to hangout with me, perhaps grab lunch with me? _

“Man I hope she doesn’t think I am a creep!” I said anxiously.

“She won’t, you are Sexy Sea Bass after all!” Anthony joked. The guys left the beach house to return to their families and I wandered upstairs to my room and took a shower. I had walked out of the shower and was brushing my teeth when my phone chimed. I grabbed my phone and excitedly opened the new text message:

**Vina, 10:16 p.m:** _ Hello Seb! That’s totally fine, I was just about to get your number from Chris haha. Lunch sounds lovely, I am actually free tomorrow all afternoon since I come into the clinic early. _

**Seb, 10:18 p.m:** _ Great! That’s actually perfect since I my afternoon  is also free tomorrow. Is it okay if take you out for lunch? The diet I am on now doesn’t allow me to eat food from the food trucks normally at the courtyard.. _

**Vina, 10:19 p.m:** _ Of course! Meet me at the clinic at noon tomorrow! _

**Seb, 10:20 p.m:** _ Sure, sounds good! See you then _

**Vina, 10:20 p.m:** See you then, Winter Soldier! ;) 

I smiled dumbly at my phone, extremely happy to have lunch with Vina tomorrow. I slept soundly that night, it was the first peaceful sleep I’ve had in awhile.

 

**~Vina’s POV~**

“Nicole! It looks like I’m having lunch with Bucky Barnes!” I beamed happily, showing her mine and Seb’s texts.

“Damn you lucky girl! Don’t forget your promise!” Nicole begged, reading the texts.

“How could I ever forget?! Just come visit me during your lunch break, you’re only 10 minutes away from the clinic.” I reasoned with her.

“Maybe I will!” She smirked, “Man Seb has it badddd!”

“Oh shush it! He’s just nice!” I concluded.

“Whatever you say Vi! Don’t forget to mention my prediction on your wedding reception!” Nicole joked. 

“Well, I guess a girl can dream!” I said partially giving into her prediction. “I gotta go to be now, Cathy wants me in the clinic at 6 am, but I only work in the morning.”

“Geez, that’s super early but it’s nice that she gave you the afternoon off! Goodnight!” Nicole exclaimed as she headed to her room.

“Nighty night!” I called out. I changed into my homey sleep shirt and my cotton Naja cheeky panties and slipped into bed, pulling the covers over me. I slept soundly to the new Adele soundtrack and was excited for what the next day would bring. 


	4. The Time at the Overlook

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is told from Vina’s POV during her lunch with Seb and concludes with a surprise!

**~Vina’s POV~**

It’s  5:30 in the morning and I am just about to leave for work. Taking my backpack with me, I make my way to my car. Nicole is on her morning run and doesn’t start work until 10 this morning. Driving on the 405, my mind is flooded with thoughts on why Cathy wants me at the clinic this early. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE my job at Vitality Motion, it’s just strange that I am needed at the clinic this early. As I turn into the parking lot and park my car, I see Seb and Anthony walking over to the training center. They see me in my small car and wave at me, with Anthony being a tad excited. He probably knows about my lunch with Seb, I thought as I waved back and entered the clinic.

“Good morning, Vina!” Sheri the receptionist said as I entered the staff lounge.

“Magandang umaga Ate!” I responded in our native language of Tagalog. “Is Cathy here?”

“Oo Vina, she is in the meeting room!” Sheri explained to me. “Salamat!” I said, going over the meeting room.

“Vina! It’s nice to see you here bright and early!” Cathy said as I entered the room.

“I am a morning person!” I exclaimed. “Is there something you wanted to talk to me about? I don’t see my first patient until 7:30am..”

“Yes! The plans for the research department have been approved and signed by USC and the equipment has been ordered!” Cathy responded happily.

“Wow, that is very exciting!”

“Indeed! They have given me a research grant and I want you to co-author it with me, only if you want to of course!” Cathy smiled.

“I would absolutely LOVE to co-author research with you! What are we researching?” I asked excitedly.

“We are researching the effectiveness of midfoot striking as a preventative measure for Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome in a healthy population,” Cathy explained.

“Very interesting! When do we start?” I asked anxiously.

“I have started the initial paperwork and submitted it to the board for approval,” Cathy explained “We start screening for test participants next week. Since the research plan still needs to be approved, we will practice our test protocol on the stunt team and training center clients that give consent.”

“Ahh I see! Well, this is very exciting. Can you please send me the research plan so I can get caught up?” I asked.

“Yes of course! I am sending it now!” Cathy said as she looked at me from her desk. Once our meeting was over, I went to look at my patient schedule for the morning and was surprised see only two patients on the chart. My first patient was returning for her third visit, she is being treated for plantar fasciitis on her left foot. My second patient is an elderly woman coming in for her initial evaluation; on her chart it is indicated that she is in for balance and is at “fall risk”. Eager to start my morning, I grab my work laptop and go over both of my patients’ charts to read over

 

_10:30 a.m, 3 hours later_

Both of my patients were easy in that they both had experience getting treated at other physical therapy clinics. During both appointments, my patients and I were able to connect in a way that built a professional rapport. Since I only had two patients, I was able to finish my work a 9 am. I did my five mile run around the courtyard and around the surrounding area. I usually don’t get the chance to run at work because I can see up to 20 patients a day (depending on the schedule), but today was a special day. I got to really get in the zone during my run; no achy pains in my legs and my allergies were practically nonexistent. I got back to the clinic at around 10 and showered in women’s locker room at the training gym.

Sitting in the staff lounge now, I go over my emails for the day and catch myself up on the research plan Cathy sent. As I read over the plan and made notes, my phone buzzed on the table. I looked over and the “1 new message” notification lit the screen. I opened it, finding a new message from Sebastian.

 **_Seb, 10:35 a.m:_ ** _Hi Vina! Just wondering if we’re still on for lunch today haha_

 **_Vina, 10:36 a.m:_ ** _Yep! I’m looking forward to it!_

 **_Seb, 10:36 a.m:_ ** _Glad to hear it! I saw you running on my way in, you have an intimidating workout face!_

 **_Vina, 10:37 a.m:_ ** _You caught me when I was in the zone LOL. I gotta go and finish my eval notes but meet me here at the clinic in an hour!_

 **_Seb, 10:38 a.m:_ ** _Okay, see you soon!_

 **_Vina, 10:39 a.m:_ ** _Okie dokie :)_

Smiling to myself, I resumed reading over the research plan, making notes on past research literature to see what the different outcomes were. This alone took a solid half hour; with the other half hour, I was reading over my patient schedule for the following week and next week. I was deep in work mode when a knock at the door interrupted my work flow. Since the door was open, I turned around and saw Sebastian.

“Oh my! Has it already been an hour?!” I asked, looking incredulously at him.

“Well I’m here aren’t I?!” teased Sebastian.

I smiled and gathered my stuff. Seb was reading the anatomy posters in the office and I was admiring his look today. No lie, Sebastian can rock any look but he was really rocking the lumbersexual look today with his dark blue jeans, brown boots, gray plaid button down shirt, and black baseball cap. His long thick hair was tucked in a tiny low pony tail and a 5 o’clock shadow adorned his chiseled face. My wandering eyes betrayed me and Seb smirked at me, acknowledging my gaze. Laughing and shaking my head I replied “Let’s go, I’m starving!” and off we went. When we got to the parking lot, Sebastian opened the door to his red Porsche 911 Turbo and let me in.

“You have a beautiful car!” I admired as Seb got in the driver’s seat and back out of the parking lot.

“Thanks, although technically it isn’t _mine_ \- it’s a rental!” Seb explained.

“Gotcha! So where are you taking me Mr. Stan?” I asked looking over at him expectedly.

“It’s a surprise! And _please_ call me Seb, I’m not old enough for this Mr. Stan business!” Seb chuckled “Hang on, I don’t even know your last name but you know mine!”

“Calm down! My name is Vina del Torres for all purposes; my full name is Vina Ramielle Valenciano del Torres. I am Filipino” I explained proudly.

“Wow! So were you born here in the States or in the Philippines?” Seb curiously asked.

“I was born here in the States. My parents immigrated to California separately in the late 80s and met in Stockton, my hometown!” I replied.

“That’s interesting!” Seb responded, “Can you speak Filipino?”

“Haha yes, I am fluent in Tagalog which is the main dialect. My two younger brothers can also understand the language but can’t really speak it fluently, ” I stated, “I am also fluent in Spanish: I studied it throughout high school, minored in it during undergrad and was able to study abroad in Spain my senior year.”

“Can you say something to me in Tagalog?” Sebastian asked looking slyly at me.

“Sure!” I exclaimed “Ako ay masaya na kami ay pagpunta sa kumain ako!”

“Uhh, I have no idea what you just said but it sounds positive!” Seb remarked.

“I said that I was happy that we are going to eat,” I smiled. “Can you say something to me in Romanian?”

“Ea mă face fericit să iau prânzul cu tine!” Sebastian beamed “I said it makes me happy to have lunch with you!”

“Are English and Romanian the only languages you speak?” I curiously asked.

“Technically yes. I understand German but can only speak enough of it to order food from a restaurant.” Sebastian said as he took the exit off the freeway.

“Cool, we found something in common during this car ride- we’re both trilingual!” I rejoiced.

“I know, you are one of the few people I know that can speak more than one language other than English,” Sebastian said as he parked the car. “Just wait here, I’ll pick up the food I ordered.”

“Ooh a man that plans ahead! I LOVE THAT!” I giggled as Seb got out of the car. As if I didn’t already admire this man, finding out that he is cultured really got me. Sebastian returned with a large paper bag, it’s savory aroma filling the rental Porsche.

“Okay, now I have to know where we are going!” I said as we entered the freeway again.

“Just wait, we’ll be there in 10 minutes!” Seb chuckled. “So tell me more about your family, you mentioned that you had two younger brothers? I am an only child so I find the sibling dynamic fascinating!”

“Yes, I do have two younger brothers, Vincent and Victor. Vincent is the middle child and he is three years younger than me. He is going into his senior year of college at Caltech this fall, majoring in Aerospace engineering. Victor is six years younger and has just graduated high school. He’ll be studying mechanical engineering at UC Berkeley this fall.” I proudly explained.

“Geez, I’m not gonna lie, your family already intimidates me! You are all SO smart!” Seb answered. “What do your parents do?”

“Don’t be intimidated- I can assure you my brothers can act so annoying at times!” I laughed “My dad is an electrician that started his own business and my mom opened a Filipino fusion cafe in Palo Alto with my aunt (dad’s sister) when Vincent and I moved out.”

“I’m still pretty intimidated!” Seb replied.

“Well, I do come from a pretty athletic family: my brothers and I ran cross country in high school and my parents and brothers are avid tennis players,” I reasoned. “My brothers are pretty hardcore Marvel fans, they’ve read all the comics!”

“YES! Finally something I can relate too!” Seb cheered.

“Haha although, I gotta warn you, Victor would freak if he found out that I know you! He loves that Captain America films” I earnestly said.

“I’d like to meet him!” Seb responded “Let me know when he comes down for a visit, I can give him a tour of the set and introduce him to Chris!”

“I’ll keep that in mind!” I said looking out the window as the car entered a secluded overlook of Los Angeles. “This overlook is amazing!”

“Isn’t it? I love this place because the view is spectacular and no one ever goes here,” Sebastian remarked, “This is my go to spot in LA if I ever need to get away from all the craziness and clear my head.”

Sebastian had ordered food from a vegan soul food place and it was quite the spread. We ate our zucchini lasagna and sipped on the chia lemonade while we talked more about our families. One difference that we found was that Seb comes from a small family; he only has two cousins that live in Europe and his mother and step-father live in upstate New York. Seb found it fascinating to learn that I have 40 first cousins total and couldn’t believe it when I told him that I had not met all of them yet. I then explained that my family is scattered, I have relatives in California, Spain, London, Japan,  and Australia. I later added that most of my relatives live in the Philippines. On the topic of travel, Sebastian explained to me that he has toured the world three times while doing press for Marvel, but that getting the chance to explore the cities was challenging since his schedules have been packed with interviews and appearances. Even with all the traveling, he confessed that he had never visited the Philippines and told me to be his tour guide if he ever went. I happily obliged, warning him about the humid climate; this didn’t discourage him at all. When I should him pictures of the Philippine beaches I went to on my last trip, Seb got really excited and claimed that the Philippines would be his next vacation destination when he gets time off.

Even after we finished our food, Seb and I continued to talk about anything and everything. We went over the basics such as favorite color (red for Seb, purple for myself), favorite place to visit (Rome for Seb, Barcelona for myself), dogs or cats (we’re both dog people), and most rebellious thing we’ve done (visiting his first girlfriend while she was at NYU and he was still a high school senior). I told Seb that the most rebellious thing I’ve done was get matching tattoos with my cross country team freshman year of college.

“I don't believe it until I see it!” Seb exclaimed.

“I did! We were 18 and away San Diego for an invitational. One of the girls had an uncle who owned a tattoo shop and gave us free ones because it was her birthday!” I explained, showing Sebastian my “Fear no distance” tattoo on the arch of my left foot.

“How did you come up with the quote?” Seb murmured softly.

“Well, ‘fear no distance’ has always been our mantra during grueling practices and races. It seemed fitting!” I explained animatedly.

“Did you all get it tattooed to your feet?” Seb asked, softly stroking my tattoo, admiring it soft cursive font.

“No, me and my roommate at the time got it on our arches, her tattoo is on her right foot. One girl has it on the back of her heel, the other has it on the bas of her neck, and my the last teammate got it down her spine.” I explained, putting my red Toms back on. We continued to talk about how we got started in our respective careers. Since Sebastian’s mother was an opera singer and used to teach piano, his interest in acting started at an early age. When he moved to New York, he went to acting camp every summer throughout his high school years and eventually attended Rutgers University to study acting.

“So when did you decide that you wanted to be a physical therapist Vina?” the brooding Romanian actor asked.

“It’s kind of a long story, are you sure you wanna know? I don’t want to bore you..” I mumbled shyly.

“Of course! You can never bore me Vina!” Seb exclaimed, looking into my eyes expectedly.

“Back in my junior year of high school, I was taking an anatomy class and running cross country. I realized that the stuff I was learning in class was actually very applicable to my daily life and I also excelled in the class. From then I knew I wanted to pursue the health professions but I was on the fence on whether to pursue medicine or another field in college.” I explained,  “That summer, my dad developed a chronic injury of plantar fasciitis from his heavy marathon training schedule and day job. He went to physical therapy to get treated. During his 5 weeks at the PT clinic, I was able to observe his physical therapist help my dad heal. In those weeks the relationship between my dad and his PT was so inspiring. When I saw my dad get discharged from the clinic, I had a gut feeling telling me to pursue physical therapy.”

“That’s amazing! You seem to be doing well for yourself, everyone at the training center loves that the clinic is right next door. The stunt team calls you PTs their living saviors,” Seb chuckled running his hand through his hair.

“I love my job! It’s very gratifying to see my patients get better and know that I play a part in their recovery process,” I confessed truthfully “I still keep in touch with former patients, as some still send me Christmas cards.”

I glanced over at my watch, surprised to see the time. “Dang it’s already 3:30!” I exasperated looking at Sebastian surprisingly.

“We should probably head back now, if we wanna beat the LA traffic” Seb suggested.

“I agree, my phone just died and my roommate is probably worried. She got off work and is probably home right now,” I said as Sebastian drove us on our way to my apartment. We caught up with the traffic, but it wasn’t too bad. What would normally be a 15 minute drive back to my place took 30 minutes today. Sebastian parked his rental car across the street and we walked over to the apartment together. As we climbed the stairs I realized that we didn’t go back to the clinic to pick up my car.

“Don’t worry, I can pick you up tomorrow morning and give you a ride,” Seb reasoned.

“Are you sure? You don’t have to go out of your way, I know your schedule can be busy,” I said. “Maybe Nicole give me a ride…” I thought to myself.

“Don’t be silly, picking you up is actually on my way to the clinic!” Seb happily stated.

“Okay, if you insist!” I smiled, opening the door to my place. Seb and I came home to the shouting of our two best friends.

“Where have you guys been?!” Nicole and Chris yelled.

“We went out for lunch and got caught up in our conversation,” Seb responded, looking knowingly at me.

“It’s true! My phone died so I can’t see your texts Nicole!” I exclaimed.

“My phone was on silent man!” Seb looked at Chris. The confusion was quickly resolved and Nicole suggested the guys stay over for dinner. Chris and Seb happily agreed. Seb and I set the table while Chris and Nicole cooked our dinner. Once the table was set up, I gave Sebastian a tour of the apartment. Looking at the pictures hanging on the walls in the hallway, Seb claimed, “It looks like you and Nicole are super close!” as he looked at me.

“We are! We met our DPT orientation and immediately hit it off. She’s been my rock among all the studying and clinicals during PT school,” I proudly said opening the door to my room. We entered and Seb took in the running bib numbers, pictures and big world map adorned my bedroom walls.

“You’re room suits you Vina,” Seb murmured softly, walking closer to me.

“Thank you Seb!” I replied earnestly, stepping closer to him “The numbers may be a weird thing, but they motivate me to keep on running…” I said shyly, looking away from his intense gaze.

“I love weird. Weird should always be embraced, it’s what makes us unique,” Sebastian whispered softly as his hand tucked my stray hairs behind my ear and placed his other hand on the small of my back. I stepped in closer, one arm on his shoulder and the other hand placed against his scruffy cheek. As we both went in for our first kiss, a loud voice interrupted us.

“GUYS! Dinner is ready!” Chris called out. Sebastian and I both stepped back and looked at each other.

“To be continued..” I promised, looking into his sea blue eyes.

“I look forward to it,” Seb replied huskily, licking his plush lips.

We both walked out of my room and into the small dining area next to the kitchen. Dinner with Chris and Seb sure is a sight to see as they were animatedly retelling their antics while filming the Marvel films. After dinner, Chris noticed the XBOX 1 sitting on the TV console, with the Dance Central Legacy game laying right next to it. Chris being Chris, he challenged Nicole and I to a dance off against him and Seb; the actors versus PTs would dance it out to 2 songs, chosen randomly, highest score wins. While I set up the game and Nicole pushed the coffee table and couch back to make room, the guys cleared the table and loaded the plates and utensils into the dishwasher. Once everyone was in the living room, Nicole and Seb played rock paper scissors to see which team would go first. Seb beat Nicole on the first round and Nicole and I stood anxiously in front of the TV while the guys sat on the couch. The first song that came up was Don’t Cha by the Pussycat Dolls.

“Oh my gosh! This _would_ be the first song!” I complained.

“Don’t worry Vi, we’ll send these boys home with their tongues out!” Nicole joked looking back and winking at Chris. And boy did we. The free salsa lesson Nicole and I took during a beach fair did come in quite handy tonight. We crushed the body rolls and sexy hip swaying, earning the complete 5 gold stars and a total of 250,364 points.

“Give us your best!” Nicole and I cockily cheered as we switched places with Seb and Chris. The song that came up for the guys was Bust a Move by Young MC. Despite their tough fight training and rigid schedule, the guys definitely know how to let loose. Their bodies were able to take on the various hip hop moves that graced the TV screen. Their dancing was good enough to earn the 5 gold stars but their score came up a little short, tallying to 250,360 points.

“I can’t believe these physical therapists beat us by 4 points!” Seb exclaimed looking incredulously at his best friend, who nodded agreeingly.

“Well, our job _does_ require us to be movement specialists!” I responded, earning a high five from my roommate.

“We’ll just have to do our dance off at the wrap party at the end in September!” Chris said.

“Oh you are so on Evans!” I responded. It was getting late we all said our goodbyes and hugged each other. Sebastian lingered longer during our hug and reluctantly let go as Chris ran down the stairs. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning,” Seb whispered in my ear as I laughed and nodded. “You better go and beat Chris to the beach house,” I smiled as Seb waved goodbye. As I walked back into my room, about to get ready to shower, Nicole came into my room.

“Vi! Chris asked me out on a date when we were cooking dinner!” Nicole said happily.

“Aw Nicole! That’s amazing, where are you guys going?” I asked.

“We’re having dinner at his place next Friday, he’s cooking!” my roommate explained.

“So sweet, I’m happy for you!” I called out to Nicole as she went back to her room. I showered, brushed my teeth, and got into bed. All I could think about was how fantastic my day went; co-authoring a great research topic with my boss and mentor, having wonderful patients, and spending time with Sebastian. During our lunch and conversation, it’s as if I was talking to an old friend, despite the fact that we just met earlier this week! And what happened earlier before dinner was so intense. I haven’t been in a relationship since undergrad, so my romantic life has been absent until today. Before Chris interrupted us, I definitely felt an aura during mine and Seb’s embrace. I felt butterflies in my stomach and I just lost myself in his eyes. I can only hope that Sebastian felt this feeling too..

 

**~Sebastian’s POV~**

As I lounge on the living room couch of the beach house, I couldn’t help but replay the events that occurred today in my head. I had lunch with a wonderful woman; despite coming from drastically different upbringings, I couldn’t help but notice that our conversation flowed so easily. I also learned some new things about Vina and admired her passion for her job and travel. I also can’t help but be a bit intimidated by her accomplishments: graduating top of her class in undergrad and PT school, studying abroad in Spain, making summer trips to Peru to distribute medical supplies to various villages, and she is only 24! As I think about the potential she has to give back to this world, I am overjoyed and feel so lucky to have met her and spend time with her. It may sound cliche, but Vina is unlike any woman I’ve met before. She seems to act genuinely around me, curiously wanting to know more about me as a person and not just an actor. Don’t get me wrong, I love my job and wouldn’t trade it for another, but it’s comforting to spend time around people not in the entertainment business. Vina isn’t oblivious to my job either, in fact she is aware and even understands what we go through, from her experience working with other actors that have trained and been treated at Vitality Motion.

“Hey Seb! I’m gonna turn in now!” Chris stated, interrupting my thoughts.

“Alright, man! Thanks again for introducing me to Vina!” I exclaimed, getting off from the couch. “I feel lucky to know her: she’s accomplished, loves to travel, loves her job, and really values her family!”

“Yeah, Vina is pretty special,” Chris nodded “She’s definitely a keeper, Seb!”

“She is, although technically we aren’t exclusive yet, since we had our first date today,” I said “We could have had our first kiss today too, but _someone_ ruined the moment.” I added, looking pointedly at Chris.

“Who, me??” Chris asked “Timing just wasn’t right man!” We greeted each other goodnight and went off to our rooms. I layed in bed and fell asleep to the thought of seeing Vina in the morning. 


	5. The Time He Hurt his Leg

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sebastian gets injured while training and Vina becomes his physical therapist.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter begins with Seb’s POV and switches to Vina’s POV, who explains her experience working with Sebastian  
> Tagalog phrases used:  
> *lahat ng maraming."= I miss you all a lot  
> **makaligtaan ko ang iyong manok adobo."= I miss your chicken adobo  
> ***Mahal Kita."= I love you

**~Sebastian’s POV~**

I woke up to the booming voice of my housemate, who was banging on my door. “Seb! I’m heading out now, you should probably get ready now since we need to be at the gym in 20 minutes!” Chris called out. I looked at my phone and saw that Vina had just texted me.

 **_Vina, 8:00 a.m:_ ** _Morning Seb! Just making sure you can still give me a ride to work… Nicole left an hour ago…_

 **_Seb, 8:00 a.m:_ ** _Yes, I will be there in 10! I’m running late sorry!_

 **_Vina, 8:01 a.m:_ ** _I am running late too- I just woke up and am getting ready now as we speak haha_

 **_Seb, 8:01 a.m:_ ** _I’ll see you in a few! I’ll text you when I pull up front!_

And with that I got myself ready and gathered my stuff together. On my way out, I passed by the kitchen to grab two bananas and two cups of Fage blueberry greek yogurt. If we were both running late, breakfast would be a good idea. I got in my rental car and backed out of the beach house garage, making my way to Vina. “On the bright side, today is Friday” I happily thought to myself, taking the freeway exit to Vina’s place. I parked in front of the apartment complex, texting Vina to let her know that I arrived. Not too long after, I saw Vina bounding down the stairs, with her backpack and her arms hugging a giant textbook. As she walked over to the car, I took in her bright appearance. Vina was fresh faced, without makeup, donning tortoise-shell framed eyeglasses; her long hair pulled into a high bun, held with just a pencil. She was wearing a white fitted Vitality Motion shirt, a red bomber jacket, gray jogger pants and white Adidas sneakers. As she entered the car, I curiously asked “What’s with the enormous textbook?” as I handed her the breakfast I brought.

“Oh, technically I’m not seeing any patients today,” She said as she settled her stuff in the back seat. “Cathy wants me into the clinic to start working on our research draft- the book is just for reference,” she said nonchalantly as I started the car and drove off on our way to the clinic, entering the freeway once more.

During the drive, I asked her about the research proposal she was co-authoring  with her mentor, Cathy. She explained to me that they were researching the effect that mid foot striking had on shin splints, medically known as Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome. I could tell that she was trying her best to explain the research in a way that I could understand, but her excitement got the best of her and she continued talking about the previous research literature. I smiled to myself as I drove. Vina also explained to me that they needed to practice their research protocol on the stunt team and anyone training in the gym while she and Cathy were waiting board approval. I proudly gave her my consent; I was really curious to see Vina in her work environment.  I exited the freeway and drove us into the parking lot. We got our stuff and walked quickly to the gym and clinic, waving see you later to each other. I entered the gym, locked my gym bag in my locker and made my way over to the training mat, where I saw Steve. We did a basic strength training circuit for a good half hour and moved on to doing sprints outside.

 

_An hour and a half later.._

Steve and I entered the gym and worked my my martial arts choreography. I was feeling pretty good about myself since Steve vocally acknowledged my improvement. As my left leg was coming in for a roundhouse kick, I felt a sharp pain on the back of my thigh, causing me to fall to my side.

“Holy shit! Seb are you okay?!” Steve panicked.

“I felt a snap as I was coming in for that kick!” I said clutching my left thigh.

“I’ll call Vina over!” Steve replied as he ran out of the gym to the clinic next door. Two minutes later, I looked over to the entrance, seeing Vina and Steve run over to the training mat I lied on.

“Seb, Steve told me what happened, but can you describe your pain? Is it a sharp pain? Radiating pain?” Vina asked, as she help me lie on my stomach so she could examine the back of my thigh.

“It’s a sharp pain on the lower part of my thigh, like right above the knee,” I answered. “I thought physical therapists were only involved in the rehab process?” I asked.

“Well usually we are, but I’m the only physical therapist here at the moment that has a dual certification in Athletic Training, so I can handle the first response,” Vina said comfortingly as she gently prodded the back of my thigh. She performed a muscle test, asking my if I could match her resistance as she tried to extend my leg as I flexed it. The outcome was weak: I was able hold the end range position but I couldn’t tolerate the resistance.

“Good news, I think it’s only a Grade 1 hamstring strain: Grade 3 indicates a severe rupture. Bad news, you have to stop fight training for three weeks,” Vina explained to me and Steve. “I’m gonna refer you to a doctor to get a confirmed diagnosis, that way we can start the rehab process soon.”

“Okay, is there anything I can do in the next few days?” I asked her.

“Yes, I want you to rest for five days, starting today,” Vina explained “During those days, you should practice the R.I.C.E method: Rest, Ice, Compress, Elevate.”

I was to ice my hamstring (ice pack wrapped in a towel or sleeve) for twenty minutes every two hours, wear a compression sleeve on my thigh when I wasn’t icing, and elevate my thigh on a stack of pillows when I was resting at home.

“You can still continue filming,” Vina reasoned “But please have your stunt double do all the stunts while you are recovering. And if possible, it’ll be great if you can wear the compression sleeve underneath your costume.”

“You got it, Doc!” I smiled weakly. After she made sure I was okay, she went back to the clinic to send my doctor a request for an MRI scan to confirm her prognosis. I took the day off to rest and was on my way over to the doctors office. Sure enough, my doctor confirmed the diagnosis and explained that the hamstring was not completely ruptured, thankfully. The doctor also went over the MRI scan and explained to me that I had a grade 1 hamstring strain and needed at least 3 weeks of rest and recovery. He approved Vina’s request to begin rehab and I walked out of the office feeling slightly relieved since I would let my body rest from all the training. On my way home, I also became excited because I requested that Vina be my primary physical therapist to oversee my rehab process.

As I entered the beach house and walked through the hallway to my room, Chris called out, asking what happened to me, since he left right before. I explained what happened and how attentive Vina was while examining me.

“Even though I know her, she was still professional and caring,” I remembered.

“Yeah, she’s great at her job,” Chris replied “Vi helped me recover from my bicep injury back when we were filming Civil War.”

“She’ll be the physical to oversee my recovery,” I explained excitedly.

“Dude, that’s awesome- she’ll get you back in shape in 3 weeks, maybe even less,” Chris said “but only if you does exactly as she says.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way!” I exclaimed.

“You do realize that you can’t take her out on another date until _after_  she discharges you,right?” Chris implied “Since you’re her patient…”

“Oh man, that rule slipped my mind…” I trailed off “But at least I’ll get to see her everyday still, even if she is working with me. We’ll just have to be friends in these next three weeks.”

As I lied in bed and elevated my left thigh on a folded pillow, I fell asleep to the thought of finally being able to experience what it’s like working with Vina. I just hope that I’m not that stubborn of a patient.

 

**~Vina’s POV~**

What an eventful day, I thought to myself as I sat in the staff lounge typing up the research proposal. I technically I had this Friday off and the morning was mellow for the most part, aside from Sebastian’s incident at the gym. After I examined him, I went back to the clinic to go over my eval notes with Cathy. She agreed with my prognosis and gave me the ok to send the referral to Sebastian’s doctor.

For the rest of the day, I worked on the research proposal and read over my emails for the day. My mom called me during my lunch break as well, asking if I could make it to Victor’s high school graduation next month, along with the big bash my parent’s were hosting to celebrate Victor’s graduation and Vince’s 21st birthday.

“Anak*, come to the party!” my mom exclaimed in her strong Filipino accent. “Naia and Imyna have been dying to see you!” These girls were my first cousins, their mom and my mom started the cafe together in Palo Alto. I haven’t seen them since I went home last Christmas.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be home just in time for Vic’s graduation,” I replied looking at my calender, making sure I had time off for the first two weeks of June. “I miss you lahat ng maraming.*”

“Thank goodness!” my mom happily responded, “You’re dad will be so happy to find out that you are coming.”

“I can’t wait to come back, makaligtaan ko ang iyong manok adobo**..” I trailed off “Every time I make it, it doesn’t taste the same.”

“Ay I will teach you again when you get back,” my mom promised “I have to go anak, your dad and I are playing tennis with Ron and Anna. Mahal kita!***” We said our goodbyes and I continued to work on the research proposal for another hour.

Just as I was about to logout, my patient schedule pinged and I open it. I come to find that Sebastian has been assigned to me as a patient and that his initial evaluation and first appointment were on Monday. Usually initial evals and the following appointments were on separate days, but because of the tight schedule Sebastian is on, they were merged into one appointment. Once it was 6 o’clock, I logged out, gathered my stuff, walked out of the clinic and got into to Rita, my tiny Scion iQ. On my way home, the car sound system rang, indicating that I had an incoming call from Sebastian.

“Hi Seb,” I answered “I look forward to working with you on Monday!”

“Jeez, your schedule has been updated already?!” Sebastian chuckled drowsily. “I just woke up from my nap.”

“Yes, the system is pretty consistent with updates,” I said as I drove “Don’t forget to ice and make sure you put the ice pack in a towel, I don’t want you getting frostbite!”

“Yes mom,” Seb joked “How was the rest of your day?”

“It was pretty mellow, I was just working on the research proposal,” I replied “and I talked to my mom.”

“That’s nice, how is she?” Seb asked.

“She’s doing well; she just called to make sure I was coming back home on my two weeks off next month,” I responded. “My parents are hosting a big party to celebrate Vic’s high school graduation and Vince’s 21st birthday party.”

“Aw that’s nice!” Seb said “I’ll be in Philly that first weekend of June, for Wizarding World Comic Con.”

“Very cool!” I called out “Hey Seb, I’ll see you on Monday okay? I just parked and Nicole needs help bringing our groceries back up to our place..”

“No problem! See you on Monday!” he said before I hung up.

The rest of the evening was also laidback as Nicole and I stayed in and binge watched How to Get Away With Murder on Netflix. As I was catching Nicole up on what happened today, Nicole was a bit distracted since she was looking at her phone.

“Who _are_ texting this late in the night?!” I curiously asked.

“Oh just Chris,” she chuckled smiling at me. We continued to watch but 5 minutes later, my focus on the screen was interrupted with a howling laugh, courtesy of Nicole.

“OH MY GOD,” Nicole shouted, “You have to see this!” she said thrusting her phone in my face. As my eyes adjusted, the screen had a picture of Chris’s selfie with a napping Sebastian, whose face had a sharpie drawing of a dick.

“I’m not gonna lie, that’s pretty funny,” I smiled “Poor Seb though, that drawing is in Sharpie.”

“It’s HILARIOUS,” Nicole howled.

“Aw it looks like you and Chris are hitting it off pretty well!” I said looking at my roommate who nodded smiling back. We finished the episode and we both went into our rooms, turning in for the day.

 

_On Monday morning.._

**~Vina’s POV~**

Monday morning and so amped to start my morning. After having a relaxing weekend in, I was able to catch up on my patient’s charts for this busy week ahead. My first appointment of the day was with Sebastian. When the clock chimed in at 8am, I walked out of the staff lounge and called Sebastian over.

“Hello, first patient of the day!” I said as I greeted Sebastian.

“Good morning, Dr. Torres!” Sebastian smiled as we walked down the hallway and into the first evaluation room. We entered the room and Sebastian settled himself on the patient table and I sat on the swivel stool.

“So, Sebastian, is this the first injury you’ve had?” I asked, looking at his chart.

“Yes, this is my first injury and my first time in physical therapy.”

“Okay, so now I’ll just perform a couple of muscle tests to check your range of motion and muscle strength,” I replied, directing him to lay down on his stomach on the table.

“Just relax you legs,” I said putting one hand on his left hamstring and the other hand on the back of his left ankle “I will move your leg into knee flexion and I want you to hold it in that position, as best as you can, while I put it into extension- try to match my resistance.”

He nodded and I performed the test; he couldn’t really match my resistance and I noted muscle weakness on his chart. I performed two more muscle tests, testing the medial and lateral hamstrings. The outcomes suggested a muscle imbalance on his left lateral hamstring, the bicep femoris.

“Well, I have good news,” I stated looking at Sebastian “It looks like you just have a minor tear in your bicep femoris, you won’t need surgery to repair it.”

“Great, and the bad news?” Sebastian asked anxiously.

“The small tear in the muscle will most likely create scar tissue, which can affect your range of motion. But now that you are in physical therapy, we can do manual therapy, stretching, and strengthening exercises to work on the minor muscle imbalances on your hamstrings,” I assured.

I informed Sebastian about the exercises and stretches in his rehab plan and had one of the PTAs start him on the stretching as I moved on to my other patients.

 

_2 and a half weeks later..._

During the past few weeks, I saw Sebastian weekday since he was my first patient. My other colleagues and the other patients loved his company in the clinic, as he was always cracking jokes and just being his usual, friendly self. It was his last day of physical therapy and to be completely honest, I was going to miss having him as a patient.

“Seb, it looks like today you are graduating from physical therapy,” I exclaimed while I was stretching his hamstring, with him lying down on the table and me kneeling on the table, and his knee on my shoulder.

“I can’t believe it’s only been 18 days since my first appointment,” Seb replied as he looked up at me. “I seriously can’t thank you enough, my legs are feeling better and much stronger, thanks to you!”

“No problem! I am just doing my job!” I said as I hopped off the table. “Now here at the clinic, we give out t-shirts to our patients on their last day- what color shirt do you want?”

“Red please!” Seb said as he sat up on the table. As I went to go get the shirt, Seb had walked around the clinic and said goodbye to every patient and staff member that worked at the clinic. Once I gave him the shirt, he put it on and wanted a group picture of the staff that worked with him.

 

**~Sebastian’s POV~**

I was to filming and training, legs feeling stronger than ever, much thanks to Vina. Despite my injury, I had the best time at the clinic because I had wonderful staff and patients to interact with. I gotta admit, the best part about my time at the clinic, was to see Vina work with her patients everyday. She saw many patients, with a variety of injuries and ages. Vina even spoke fluent Spanish to some of her patients, explaining what she was doing and catering to their needs. Seeing this was quite honestly, one of the sexiest things I’ve ever seen her do. The past women I had been with had not been as passionate or exude as much positivity as Vina did, in their own careers. My last day was bittersweet, my leg had healed completely and I regained and even improved my strength but I was leaving such a friendly atmosphere.

I am currently at the beach house, packing my suitcase since Chris and I were leaving for Philly, to attend Wizarding World Comic Con this weekend. I am wearing my clinic shirt and dark jeans, lounging in the living room, waiting for Chris. As I scrolled through my camera roll, I saw the group picture at the clinic. As I reminisced, I thought to myself “I haven’t updated my Instagram in a while” so I posted the picture with the caption: “Physical therapy does work wonders! Huge thank you to @VitalityMotionClinic and @VtheDPT for getting me back in tip top shape!” Not long after, my phone chimed and I opened Vina’s message.

 **_Vina, 3:30 p.m:_ ** _Love your Insta post- me and my coworkers are ecstatic! :-)_

 **_Seb, 3:31 p.m:_ ** _No problem- thank YOU for healing me!!_

 **_Vina, 3:32 p.m:_ ** _LOL are you in the airport right now?_

 **_Seb, 3:33 p.m:_ ** _Not yet, Chris and I are on the way- currently in our Uber. Have you left yet?_

 **_Vina, 3:34 p.m:_ ** _I am just about to leave my place, I have a 6 hour drive ahead of me -_-_

 **_Seb, 3:35 p.m:_ ** _I know, have a safe drive. CALL ME when you get home!_

 **_Vina, 3:35 p.m:_ ** _Yes, dad- only if you call me when you land! Am about to drive, have a safe flight!_

And with that, Chris and I boarded our flight, on our way for a crazy eventful weekend with our wonderful fans.

 


	6. The Time with the Surprise Visitor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vina returns back home to Palo Alto for her brother, Victor's high school graduation and Sebastian goes to Philadelphia with Chris and Anthony to attend Wizarding World Comic Con.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Vina and Sebastian finally have their first kiss. Writing this scene was somewhat challenging since it is my first attempt at writing a kissing scene (I am slowly building up to smut, lol). This is also the longest chapter of the series so far, I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it!
> 
> Tagalog phrase translations:  
> Anak= child  
> Hay Nako= slang term for Oh my! or Oh my goodness!

**_~Vina’s POV~_ **

_ June 13, 2017 _

One of the things I cherish most in this life is being able to drive alone, with my music. I am 5 hours into my drive back home to Palo Alto, and only one hour away. It is about 8:30pm and my stereo is blasting Shakira’s previous albums to keep me awake. Who needs coffee when you have the wonderful voice of Shakira! During my jam session, the music was interrupted to Sebastian's incoming call.

“I just landed!” Seb called out, with Chris’s voice saying hi to me in the background.

“Hi boys! I am still on the road-I’m only 30 minutes away!” I said as payed the toll before entering the San Mateo bridge.

“I just called to let you know we landed and got here safely,” Seb replied.

“Thanks for that! Have fun!” I exclaimed. We greeted each other goodbye and hung up. I started my jam session to throwback Beyonce tunes and continued on home.

When I entered my parent’s Palo Alto home, I was greeted by several family members. My aunt Lydia and Uncle John and their daughters, Naia and Imyna were in attendance. To my surprise, I saw my brothers Vincent and Victor catching up after not seeing each other in a while. I was surprised because I had thought Vince was flying in tomorrow. Apparently Vince forgot to book his flight and decided to drive up with his two housemates today. With the all of us siblings together, my parents wanted to throw a special family dinner before the graduation and party festivities. Tita Lydia and her family were flying out to Costa Rica tomorrow morning, so they wanted to see us before they left. Coming into a full house is not really out of the ordinary in my family, since we always have people over. As I made settled my stuff in my in one of the guest rooms, I took in the new renovations that were completed in the past few months.

When my parents moved out here, they came across a rundown, but cozy, 3 story bed and breakfast that sat on a hill. Because of the physical state of the inn and the location (secluded in the outskirts of Palo Alto), they got it for a good price and settled here. My dad and his construction partners gutted the three story inn, converting it into a rustic, Spanish style home. The backyard already had a swimming pool and a tennis court below the overlook. Most of the work was done in the backyard. The house sat on a hill and the backyard had a perfect view of the Bay Area skyline; planes taking off and landing in SFO was a daily occurrence. My dad installed a spacious patio deck adorned with fairy lights and cozy furniture. He removed the swimming pool, filled up the space and replaced it with a spacious, green lawn. Since my mom has a natural green thumb, she planted a vegetable and flower garden on each side of the backyard.The appearance of the yard was completed with beautiful rustic gazebo sitting at the midst of the sprawling lawn, overlooking the skyline. As I returned back to the kitchen, I thought about how grateful I was to my parents, for both of their businesses doing well, granting them with prosperity. I bounded my way down the stairs and helped my mom cook the lumpia.

“Anak, how are you doing? How is work? You look like you lost weight, have you been eating?” My mother asked in typical Filipino mom fashion.

“I’m doing well, work is good, and I’ve been eating more since I got back into running again!” I answered, watching over the frying lumpia on the stove. She caught me up with family gossip and the happenings at the cafe.

As we settled the remaining dishes on the dining table and settled ourselves, we tucked into our small feast. I sat next to my favorite aunt and my mom’s business partner, Tita Lydia. 

“You look even happier than when I last saw you, Vi!” Tita Lydia chimed “Do you have a new man in your life?” With this, the other conversations at the table ceased, everyone looked at me expectantly.

“Hay nako!*” I laughed “No, well yes-it’s a bit complicated. I met a new guy friend through my friend Chris. His name is Sebastian and he was until yesterday, a former patient of mine!” I explained. “We were friends even before he became my patient, but I like him. Even if we don’t go past friendship, I’ll be just as happy being his friend.”

“As long as he respects you and treats you well, I’m happy Vina!” My dad replied. “It seems like work is going great, tell me more about this running gait analysis lab..” And with that, he totally geeked out when I explained the plans for the research department. 

If there’s anything my dad and I bond over, it’s running. When I was in middle school, my dad started running to improve his health. He got the competitive bug when he signed up for his first 5k run and became motivated to run more races. With his runners high, he was able to complete 10k runs, half marathons, full marathons, and eventually qualifying for the Boston Marathon and competing in it twice. Watching him chase his dreams inspired me to run cross country competitively during high school, eventually representing Stanford on a full scholarship.

One of my favorite things about coming back home is spending time with family and eating a home cooked meal. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love to cook but there is something about my mother’s food that is just so warm and inviting. As I helped my mom and aunt clear the dishes and load them in the dishwasher, they told me more of their cafe stories.

“Vi, the girls at the cafe miss you!” Tita Lydia exclaimed.

“Yes, you HAVE to come down during our stay and help out at the cafe,” my mom added.

“Aw, I miss them too! I’ll help out after the boys’ party,” I replied, loading the last of the dishes. “I am beat, I think I’m gonna turn in for the night- magandang gabi!” I said hugging my aunt and mom goodnight and going up to my room. 

I showered, brushed my teeth, and changed into my favorite Minnie Mouse sleep shirt and Naja cotton cheeky panties. “Man, that six hour drive really  _ is  _ tiring!” I thought to myself as I stretched on the soft, full sized guest bed. Just as I was about to fall asleep, my phone chimed on the bedside table. I reluctantly turned over, slightly annoyed, and glanced at my phone. The notification was about a voicemail left by Sebastian. This spiked my curiosity, so I opened the voicemail.

“Hiyaa Vinaaa, I’m just calling to say that you’re so HOTTT and that I MISSS you sooo much!” Sebastian said, drunkenly slurring his words. “That adorable little shit” I thought to myself  “I hope he’s okay” as I wrote a text message to Chris. 

**_Vina, 10:30 p.m:_ ** _ Hey, are you guys okay? Sebastian just left me a drunk voicemail.. _

**_Chris, 10:35 p.m:_ ** _ Hi Vi! We’re fine, Mackie and I are walking Seb back to his room. We went out for beers and he had a little too much to drink. Seb misses you- he gets sappy when he’s drunk  _

**_Vina 10:37 p.m:_ ** _ Glad to know you guys are safe! Tell Sebastian I miss him too!  _

 

**~Sebastian’s POV~**

_ The next day later.. (Saturday)  _

I woke to my blaring alarm with a pounding headache. “Man, I am getting old” I thought to myself as a checked my phone. It was 11 am and I was running an hour late  _ and  _ we had to be at the convention center in thirty minutes. Chris had just texted me saying to meet him downstairs in the lobby, apparently Mack Attack brought breakfast. While I was checking my phone, I realized that I had made a call last night to Vina. This was surprising news to me because 1) I drank  _ a lot  _ last night and 2) I have no idea what I said to her. I brushed my teeth and got dressed in a panic, putting on yesterday’s jeans, a gray t shirt, my leather jacket, black baseball cap and my black Nike’s. I put on my Ray Ban’s to hide my tired face, exited my room and jogged across the hall and into the elevator, in the hopes that Chris would be able to clear up my confusion. 

“Man, what did I say to Vina last night?” I said to Chris as he handed me a steaming cup of coffee. 

“Dude, you called her up said said she was hot and that you missed her!” Mackie cackled, interrupting Chris.

“Sorry Seb, what he said is true,” my friend said “Vina did listen to your voicemail and she texted me right after.”

“Was she mad?” I asked anxiously, as we entered the SUV.

“No, she was worried,” Chris closed the car door “On the bright side and told me to tell you that she misses you too” he said, showing me their texts. 

“I feel so bad, I’m gonna call her now!” I said to my friends, who nodded agreeingly. I plugged in my headphones and facetimed her and she answered, looking fresh faced with long bed hair.

“Hi Seb,” Vina answered, yawning and rubbing the morning out of her eyes. “She is so cute,” I smiled to myself. 

“Oh crap, I just woke you up didn’t I?” I replied embarrassingly “I totally forgot that it’s only 8 am there..”

“No, well yes,” she laughed, turning over on her side “It’s good you woke me up, I wanted to sneak in a run before Victor’s graduation”

“If you say so! Listen, I am so sorry I drunk called you last night!” I apologized. “I feel like such a tool..”

“Don’t worry about it,” Vina waved off “I actually found it kinda cute!”

“Hey, I’m sexy too!” I joked, pouting my lips, giving Vina my best smoulder. This made Mackie and Chris howl with laughter. 

“You sure are!” she said, biting her top lip and staring into my eyes. “Hey my dad’s calling me- apparently he wants to run with me!”

“Okay, I have to go to-we just got to the convention center,” I said, taking off my seatbelt. “Have a good run!”

“Will do, have fun at the convention! Make many fans’ dreams come true!” Vina happily chimed, signing off.  And with that, I entered the convention center for the second time. 

 

_ 5 hours later.. _

It is about 5 pm and I was sitting on the panel couch in between Chocolaccino and Chris. I spent the last five hours in my autograph booth and doing photo ops with my fans. I have truly have the best fans in the world. It is very rewarding for me to hear about how my work has helped them in a positive way. “I certainly made their dreams come true” I thought to myself, remembering what Vina had said earlier. 

“Yo Sexy Sea Bass!” Anthony waved to me, interrupting my thoughts and drawing laughter from the crowd.

“Sorry, what was the question again?” I asked, looking slightly embarrassed to the panel moderator. 

“I was just saying, with yesterday’s wedding proposal happening at your photo op, how would Bucky react to something like that?” the panel moderator asked. I laughed, throwing my head back.

“Well, I think Bucky would look at the couple and think ‘Why is this guy dressed like me?’” I replied. “But in all honestly, that surprise proposal was one of the best things I got to be apart of this year. I  seriously admire people that aren’t afraid to declare their love in public..”

“Do  _ you  _ have anyone special in your life right now?” the moderator asked, genuinely curious. 

“Well, it’s a little complicated,” I replied shyly “I do have my eye on someone special, she’s awesome and that’s all I’m gonna say!” I said as the crowd groaned, some in sadness but most wanting to know more.

“Show ‘em the Zoolander smoulder you gave her earlier!!” Mackie exclaimed, getting the panel crowd to chant “Show us! Show us!” Thankfully, my smoulder was enough to get the panel to forget about my relationship status. 

When the convention ended, the guys and I hung out with me in my hotel room. We were eating our Philly cheese steak sandwiches and while going over our schedules for the week. Production got delayed, which gave us a free week before we had to shoot in LA again. Chris was flying back to Boston for a week and Anthony was flying back to New Orleans. I was debating on whether to change my flight plans back to New York or surprise Vina in Palo Alto and fly to San Francisco instead. I told my plan the the guys and they agreed with my plan to surprise Vina. I booked my flight to SFO, my flight would leave tomorrow morning and land at SFO around 11am. Since Chris and Vina were close friends, he gave me the address to Vina’s mom’s cafe, Orchid Cafe.

“She mentioned that she was gonna help out at the cafe tomorrow,” Chris added “You should be able to catch her in time for lunch!”

“Thanks bro!” I said, packing my stuff for tomorrow’s travels. We said our goodbyes, they wished me luck and the guys went back to their rooms. I finished packing my stuff and went to bed, excited and anxious to see Vina’s reaction. 

**~Vina’s POV~**

_ Sunday morning (June 15)..  _

The last of the del Torres kids has graduated from high school, and with honors too. I am currently driving and am on my way to my mom’s bakery. Tita Lydia and her family have flown out to Costa Rica this morning for vacation. I gladly stepped in to fill in my aunt’s shoes. My mom was also out this morning, running last minute errands and getting the house ready for the big fiesta tonight. She wanted me to manage the bakery until she gets back during lunch time.  As I entered the bakery I was welcomed by the happy employees.

“You’re FINALLY here!” Casey the waitress exclaimed as she brought me in for a hug.

“How are you?” Nina, one of the bakers, asked giving me another hug “Seeing anyone?”

“Oh no, not you guys too! I’m doing well Nina, work is going great!” I replied “I swear,  _ everyone  _ in this town is trying to set me up with a guy!”

“Well  _ are  _ you seeing someone?” the girls both asked.

“It’s complicated,” I said, starting to make the blueberry empanadas. I filled them in on my life in L.A and my friendship with Sebastian.

The morning was quite busy at first, with most customers picking up breakfast pastries and cake orders. As I rang the orders up, I thought about how much I missed this place. I used to work her on my summers off to save money for grad school. As a result, I got to know the regular customers really well. As I saw them throughout the morning, they filled me in on their lives and I happily reciprocated the conversation. At around noon, my mother came and took over my place. I took off my apron and returned it to the closet in the back of the cafe. As I walked out to the front of the cafe, I accidentally bumped to a man waiting in line. I was looking down since I was taking off my bandana and I looked up to see, the one and only, Sebastian Stan.

“Hello stranger!” Sebastian smiled, his ocean blue eyes looking into my dark brown eyes. He came in for a hug and I was speechless. As we departed from our embrace, stared at him. 

“What are you doing here? I thought you were flying back home?” I exasperatedly wiped my hair out of my face.

“I felt so bad about the call and wanted to apologize in person,” Sebastian explained “Plus I  _ need  _ to try the blueberry empanadas, Chris told me ALL about them!”

“Well okay! Lemme go get some from the back…”I said, starting to make my way over.

“Nah, I can pay for them!” Sebastian smiled. I found a table in the corner next to the window while Seb bought his empanadas. ‘Sebastian really does exude happiness wherever he goes’ I thought to myself as I observed his interaction with Casey. To my surprise she kept her cool, but as Seb walked back to me, she looked at me, gave 2 thumbs up and mouthed ‘I approve’. 

“What’s so funny?” Seb sat down, setting his pastry plate and two green teas on the table, looking at my laughing self.

“Nothing, you just can’t seem to turn off your charm, can you?” I snickered. “You are a fan of the empanadas, I take it?” I asked as he release a moan of appreciation during his first bite. 

“I love them,” Sebastian groaned “I never knew what love is until now, at this very moment!” 

“I baked those this morning, you know!” I smiled, sipping on my green tea.

“Oh man, you should not have said that,” Seb responded, munching happily on the pastries “I’m gonna ask you to bake them for me!”

“But I love making them, so it’s a win win!” I said, seeing my mom walk over to us. She introduced herself to Sebastian and asked if he wanted anything else (on the house). He asked for more empanadas to go and she returned back to the kitchen to get some more. When she returned with the pastries, Seb thanked her and told her he loved the atmosphere and employees of the bakery. My mother blushed profusely, shyly thanked him and walked back to the counter. I swear, after Seb complimented her, it’s like she had a pep in her step!

 

We walked out of the cafe together, with Seb’s empanadas and carry on luggage in tow and into my car. As I backed out of the parking lot, my stomach growled. 

“Someone’s hungry!” Seb said, looking slyly at me.

“Shush! I’m starving, you down for some In-N-Out?” I playfully smacked Seb’s arm.

“I am  _ always  _ down for In-N-Out!” Seb cheered, trying to wave his long arms in my tiny car. It was quite a sight to see, let me tell ya! Because of his 6 foot frame, Sebastian had to move the seat back all the way. 

 

We picked up two burgers and two orders of fries and I drove us back to my parents house. When we got home, I gave Seb a quick tour of the house, explaining the renovations and such. As we walked through the hallway, Seb stopped to read the diplomas on the walls. When my mom was decorating the house, she decided to make a recognition wall and put all out diplomas and certificates on it. 

“You never told me you went to Stanford!” Seb exclaimed, looking at me.

“Really? I thought I told you..” I trailed off “I don’t really like to advertise it. I am definitely a proud alumna but sometimes, people treat me differently when I tell them. So I usually let them find out on their own or I’ll gladly tell them if it comes up in conversation!” We went out to the backyard and ate our lunch on the gazebo. 

“So what did you major in?” Seb asked curiously, as he ate his burger.

“Human Biology with a concentration in human physiology.” I responded, digging into my fries. We continued to talk about his past few days in Philly. As recalled his crazy antics with Anthony, I remembered the video that my brother Victor sent me.

“Oh yeah, my brother Vic sent me a video of your panel,” I said “The girl you’re smitten with must be pretty special!” I winked at him. 

“It’s you.You’re the girl I find special,” Sebastian deadpanned.

“Relax, Bucky!” I chuckled “I’ve had sneaking suspicions; you surprising me confirmed them!”

“So what do you say?” Sebastian asked “Do you think you can handle being my  _ girlfriend _ ?”

“Pssh, “I waved off “The question is, can you handle being my  _ boyfriend _ ?”

“You intimidate me, not gonna lie! But I think we can make this work!” Seb replied as he finished his food.

“Okay, wait,” I said seriously “There’s just one thing you should know.” Seb nodded, encouraging me to continue.

“I’m a virgin. I made a promise to myself when I was younger to wait until marriage to have sex. This was a big deal breaker to my ex in undergrad. The breakup only affirmed my promise and I have no plans to break it,” I explained looking at Sebastian. “And yes, my Christian faith does have a small influence on my choice, but to be completely honest, I find that sex complicates relationships. Call me old-fashioned but I’d much rather build a strong emotional connection with someone before we get physical. And it’s not like I’m a complete prude either, I have a healthy solo sex life, wow I can’t believe I just said that!” I rambled, slightly embarrassed.

“I completely respect your decision and I will wait until you are ready. It’s good to know that your solo sex life is thriving,” Sebastian assured, his eyes twinkling “You’re ex is a complete ass by the way, but if you guys hadn’t broke up, then I probably wouldn’t have met you..”

“So you don’t mind  _ at all _ ?” I said in disbelief.

“No, in fact I admire you for keeping your promise. Getting to know you these past few weeks has been a great joy and I really do believe that we can make this relationship work,” Sebastian said earnestly, leaning in closer taking my hands into his. “Let’s just be happy. You make me happy.”

And with that, I leaned in taking his face into my hands and I kissed this wonderful man’s full lips. Sebastian was slightly surprised at first, but then he deepened the kiss by slipping his tongue into my mouth and interlocking it with mine. He then pulled me over to sit on his lap, placing his arm around my waist and placing his other hand on my cheek. The instant attraction between us was undeniably present; I had butterflies in my stomach. We reluctantly pulled apart to breath air, Sebastian nuzzled his face in my neck.

“That was some first kiss,” I said looking down into Sebastian’s face.

“The wait was totally worth it,” he replied, hugging my waist and softly tracing patterns on my arms. As we quietly admired the planes flying across the Skyline, I heard my brother Victor come out to the backyard, making his way to the gazebo.

“Vi, you need to help, dad has the party stuff out-HOLY SHIIT,” Vic shouted “You didn’t tell me you were  _ seeing  _ SEBASTIAN STAN!”

“Vic, language! And calm down!” I said as Seb and I stood up. I introduced them and after Vic settled down (somewhat) we walked over to the front to gather the supplies into the house. When we entered the kitchen I formally introduced Sebastian to my dad and Vince. 

“Oh please, call me Mateo,” my father said warmly.

“Hey Sebastian, wanna play tennis with us?” my brother Vince asked “You can be my doubles partner.”

“Uhh sure, I guess I can,” Sebastian looked at me and I nodded. “Let me just change..” I showed Sebastian to his room and he changed. I walked him to the backyard, to where my brothers and dad stood, waiting.

“Have fun boys!” I called out as I walked back to the house. To me it seemed like they really hit it off. 

 

_ 2 and a half hours later.. _

I was helping my mom the last minute decorations in the house and I heard the guys enter the house.

“Seb  _ can  _ play,” Vince exclaimed proudly “He just aced Dad and we won the tie breaking point!”

“Good game, Sebastian,” my dad said as they high fived. 

“Nice! You guys get ready! Party starts in an hour!” I called out, climbing down from the step ladder. Sebastian and I made our way upstairs and we got ready separately. I changed into my teal sundress with crochet embroidering at the neckline. I pulled my long hair into a side fishtail braid, grabbed my tan birkenstocks and was ready to go. As I stepped out of my room, I found Sebastian staring at the family pictures on the wall. He stood tall, wearing dark wash jeans and a light chambray button down shirt with the sleeves folded just below his elbows. I stood next to him, wrapping my arm at his side and he put his arm around my shoulders.

“Are you ready for a real Filipino fiesta?” I asked.

“I hope so,” Seb murmured “What should I expect?”

“Hmm lots of food and drinking, good music, a killer dancefloor, and karaoke,” I said looking up at him. 

“Sounds like my kind of party,” he said, placing a kiss on the top of my head. “Let’s go! 

The party was a success! The food and drinks were abundant, the music was on point, and most of all Sebastian completely blended into the family. When Vince took his celebratory shots of Patrón, Seb and I joined in along with Vince’s housemates and all the adults. Of course, some guests recognized him and he graciously posed for pictures. We danced until midnight and when the DJ left, the party continued on in the house where my dad set up the karaoke machine. The moment dad and Sebastian sang together was the moment I knew my dad had approved of Sebastian being me boyfriend. He even said to me “Sebastian can sing and play tennis, I like him.” I woke up with a slight headache, and went downstairs to make tea. As I look out of the kitchen window, I felt warm body stand next to me.

“Good morning,” Seb said in his gravely morning voice, placing his arm around my shoulder and a kiss on my forehead. “Last night was great, you guys  _ really  _ know how to party!”

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you!” I chuckled turning around, giving him a quick peck on the lips, and handed him tea. “I am glad you had fun!” 

Sebastian and I made breakfast for my family and Vince’s two friends that stayed. The mellow music of Jack Johnson filled the kitchen as we cooked. Seb was at the stove cooking omelettes and I was toasting bread and cutting up avocados and pineapple. We barely talked, but we were synchronized in our actions passing each other the utensils and plates needed when the food was prepared. Our relaxed dynamic was disrupted when the boys entered the kitchen and started eating. They were so excited that Sebastian was here and they were trying to get him to tell his stories on set and what it is like to work with the other actors. Sebastian, being the kindest man, welcomed their questions and recounted his stories to them.

 

_ One week later… _

The week had gone by way too fast. I showed Sebastian around Palo Alto; I even gave him a tour of Stanford’s campus, taking him to see the main quad, the memorial church, and Rodin's sculpture garden. On most nights, we had family dinner. My mom introduced him to her classic Filipino dishes, which he loved. All in all it was a good week, my family seemed to welcome my boyfriend with open arms. He even exchanged phone numbers with everyone, insisting that they keep in touch. We are currently standing on the driveway, saying our goodbyes to my family.

“Do you really have to go back today?” My mom asked not refusing to release me from her embrace.

“Yes mom, I told Cathy I’d be back at the clinic tomorrow,” I added. “I’ll definitely be back for Thanksgiving!” 

“Sebastian, take care of my daughter,” my dad said, as he hugged Seb.

“Don’t worry, Mateo,” Seb assured “You have my word.” 

We got into Rita, I sat at the passenger's seat since Seb insisted he drive. We waved our final goodbyes and drove back to Los Angeles. We decided to take the scenic route back, so we drove along the Pacific Coast Highway.

“Can you play one of your playlists?” Seb asked, taking in the view.

“Sure, I guess we’re at that point now since we are dating,” I smiled, pulling up my Motown/80s Spotify playlist. On the rest of the way home, we took in the beautiful and vast view of the Pacific coast as we listened to our various playlists on Spotify. Man would this be a journey of a lifetime and I’m not talking about the drive.

  
  



	7. The Time They Had Game Night

**Chapter 7- The Time They Had Game Night**

_August 2017_

**~Sebastian’s POV~**

    These past two months have been incredibly eventful: production in Los Angeles has been going well, I haven’t been injured (Thank God!), and I am happily in a relationship with a wonderful woman. Despite our ten year age difference, our dynamic feels organic; on the drive back to LA, I talked to Vina about everything. Even when we weren’t talking, the atmosphere around us was not awkward at all.

 

_Drive back from Bay Area.._

_Vina and I switched seats about halfway to LA and I was the one in the passenger seat this time. We were enjoying the view of the Pacific Ocean while listening to the calming sounds of St. Lucia. In the midst of our twenty questions game, I asked Vina “What are your favorite memories of your childhood?”_

_“Hmm,” Vina thought aloud “Apart from taking family road trips to Yosemite and Vancouver and going back to the Philippines for a family reunion.. I’d have to say spending my summers in Hawaii from when I was 13-16 takes the cake!”_

_“Geez, that sounds amazing!” I replied._

_“Yeah, it was pretty nice,” Vina reminisced “My parents would send me to my godmother’s house in the North Shore of Oahu for about a month; I would work at her small surf shop.”_

_“So you know how to surf then?!” I excitedly asked._

_“Of course! Although I do enjoy stand up paddle boarding every once in awhile!” Vina chimed._

_At that moment, just when I thought this girl couldn’t get any cooler, she proved me wrong. Vina manages to surprise and teach me new things everyday. Now that I really think about it, she could literally have any guy she wants but she chose me. How or why, I can’t really understand but I’m just lucky to be hers._

 

Once we returned from Palo Alto, Vina and I got into a comfortable routine of eating lunch together and just being in each other’s company. We decided to keep our relationship low key. The only people that really knew about our relationship at first were Chris, Nicole, and Anthony. We didn’t publicly announce it since it was still pretty early in our relationship and we knew going public would complicate things for both of us.

 

Sometimes, if shooting ended early enough, I would meet her at the clinic with lunch in tow. Other times, Vina would visit me on set on her lunch break. During the first time Vina visited me on set, I was a little surprised about how much of the cast already knew her. Apparently, she had worked with them previously when they were referred to the clinic for physical therapy or when they trained at the facility. The more frequent Vina’s presence was on set, they more people on set started to realize that Vina and I were together. The times she did visit me on set, _all_ of my cast mates would excitedly talk to her to complain or ask for advice about their aches and pains. Just the other day, RDJ almost convinced Vina to give him an evaluation. If it hadn’t been for me whisking her away to my trailer and the fact that Vi _didn’t_ bring her portable massage table, Vina would definitely had given him a massage.

   

The one time I saw Vina truly geek out on set was when I introduced her to Tom Hiddleston. She had confessed to me that Tom was one of her first celebrity crushes. Tom was the only actor she had not seen at Vitality Motion yet. The funny thing is that I didn’t _actually_ introduce them to each other, they met by chance. Their introduction happened on one of her on set visits, she was waiting for me in my trailer. She had to wait because the shot was delayed, thanks to Mack Attack. According to Vina, she was just working on her laptop, analyzing her research until she heard a knock at my trailer door. She opened the door, expecting to see my face but instead, she saw her crush, Tom Hiddleston. At this moment, I had seen her open the door and her reaction was priceless. Vina’s brown eyes widened, her mouth forming an ‘O’. She was absolutely speechless and her face started to blush profusely. Being the kind gentleman that I am, I rushed over and came to her rescue.

    “Hey babe,” I waved over, entering my trailer and putting an arm around her. “Looks like you _finally_ met Loki!”

    “So this is the infamous, living savior Vina” Tom smiled at us. “I can’t believe our paths haven’t crossed until now! Sebastian has just been gushing over you in between takes.”

    “Oh my goodness,” Vina finally said, elbowing me in the ribs causing me to feign pain. “All good things I hope!”

    “Of course, nothing but great things my dear,” Tom replied “He tells me you ran competitively for Stanford?” And with that, Vina returned to her sunny, relaxed self, eagerly telling Tom about her time running at a collegiate level and how she is thinking of signing up for a marathon. To be honest, at this point, I became the quiet one, just observing their encounter.

    “Well, I have to go, It was a pleasure finally meeting you Vina!,” Tom said, saying goodbye. “I’ll visit you at the clinic when I get the chance. I’d also love to hear about your marathon training!”

    “Likewise, I will! Bye Tom!” my girlfriend said dreamily as she closed my trailer door. “I can’t believe how awkward I was just now!”

    “Your welcome for saving you,” I responded pouting “Since you both _love_ running so much, maybe you should just date him..”

    “Oh don’t tell me you’re jealous,” Vina chuckled “Just the other day _you_ were saying how perfect Tom is!!”

    “I know, but I can’t help but think that he’ll steal you away with his British charm…” I sadly mumbled.

    “Sebastian Stan!” Vina exclaimed “Although Tom is indeed very handsome and charming, he dated Taylor Swift! You are the one I want, you have nothing to worry about!” she assured, looking into my eyes and holding my hands.

    “I believe you,” I said, hugging her 5’7 frame and burying my face in her hair, taking in the coconut scent of her shampoo. “I love it when you say my full name by the way, it’s very sexy,” I whispered huskily, my lips nipping at her neck.

    “Ahh Sebastian,” my girlfriend laughed backing her neck away. “You know how ticklish I am!”

    “Sorry babe,” I said as we sat on the couch, handing her our lunch “Let’s eat, I’m starving!”

 

    Since coming back from Palo Alto and meeting Vina’s family, I felt like I have become part of a new family. Before we left, I exchanged numbers with her parents and brothers. They promised to not give my number away to other people and they also assured that they would keep in touch. During my breaks on set, if I wasn’t facetiming Vina, I was facetiming her brothers, Vincent and Victor. During those calls, I would introduce them to my castmates such as RDJ, Hemsworth, Pratt and Scarlett Johansson. Their first time meeting Scarlett, the boys had the same reaction as their sister, it was quite hilarious. I would also text her parents on occasion, just keeping them updated on Vina. At first, she was baffled by how I got along with her family, since her family wasn’t particularly keen about her previous boyfriend, but by now Vina has just accepted it. I gotta admit though, I was pretty intimidated by Vina’s dad, Mateo because she had told me that he runs marathons and practices Wing Chun. When I saw his plethora of medals displayed on one of the walls at the house, I was even more nervous to meet him. My nervousness went away as soon as Vina introduced us. Mateo and I bonded over fitness and exercise; I described my training regimen and he told me about his cardio workouts. All in all, being welcomed into Vina’s family is a wonderful feeling.

 

    It is Friday night and I am currently hanging out at Vina and Nicole’s apartment. Another great thing that has happened in these past few months is that Chris is also happily in a relationship. It’s not far from the truth to say that Chris is quite charmed with my girlfriend’s roommate and best friend, Nicole. On the rare occasions that Vina and Nicole visited us on set, everyone (PAs, actors, etc.) would go up to them and ask them about injury prevention. Their presence on set has added even more humor and fun, even though they weren’t working on the film. Now that production in LA has wrapped, I am dreading not seeing Vina on a daily basis. Chris feels the same way too. In fact, he is currently away with Nicole in Big Sur for the weekend, to spend more time with her before we leave for Atlanta on Monday.

 

Their absence, leaves Vina and I to ourselves. Tonight is actually the first time I am sleeping over; she offered to let me stay since I didn’t want to spend the night alone in the beach house. Staying in on Friday nights was my favorite because Vina and I would cuddle on her couch and movie marathon classic animated Disney films or binge watch Game of Thrones. Right now, the BBC’s Sherlock was on the screen. Vina had recently gotten me hooked on this show, Cumberbatch and Freeman both kill it as Sherlock and John. I sat comfortably on the couch with Vina’s feet resting on my lap as she lay across the couch, her head propped on the pillow at the other end.

    “So, your birthday is tomorrow,” my girlfriend said as she turned off the TV, looking at me “What do you wanna do, birthday boy?”

    “Honestly,” I murmured, my hands massaging her feet “I just want something low key, staying in with you and pizza is perfect with me!”

    “Mhmm,” she hummed “Are you sure? You are turning 35 after all..”

    “I’m sure, a quiet night in is all I want,” I assured her “and those blueberry empanadas for breakfast!”

    “Haha you got it!” Vina said as we made our way into her room. We both took turns getting ready for bed, she let me use the bathroom first. I quickly showered, brushed my teeth and pulled on my boxers. I usually sleep in the nude, but I kept the boxers on to maintain my modesty and mostly because I didn’t want to wake up a sweaty mess. The muscle I put on during the past few months of training altered my metabolism so that my body temperature runs a little higher than normal. When I entered her room and nonchalantly settled myself in her bed.

    “I see how you’re playing this,” Vina chuckled, her face blushing “Oh my goodness, you are such a tease!”

    “I have no idea what you are talking about,” I smirked as she left to get ready for bed. Ten minutes later, Vina entered the room wearing just a white tank top and purple panties. Physically, Vina is unlike other woman I’ve dated: instead of being naturally thin, Vina is blessed with curves. Her skin is beautifully tan and her legs are absolutely ravishing. Vina’s legs are the epitome of strength and beauty, thanks to her running experience.

    “I’m the tease?!” I gasped, admiring her gorgeous athletic body as she slipped into her bed, lying next to me.

    “Oh shush!” Vina laughed, playfully slapping my chest. It took us awhile to get in a comfortable position, I’m not gonna lie. We tried spooning, me being the big spoon and Vina being my little spoon. This worked out for a good five minutes and I didn’t mind it since got to be closer to her.

    “My shoulder is cramping up,” Vina groaned, sitting up and stretching her arm that was placed under her pillow.

    “Come here..” I mumbled, gesturing my arms out so she would face me. We finally got in comfortable position, both of us lying on our sides facing each other, our legs intertwined.

    “Noapte buna,” I smiled, greeting her goodnight in Romanian and giving her a kiss.

    “Magandang gabi, dulces sueños,*” she sighed, her lips returning my kiss. We fell asleep in each others arms, to the calming breeze in the room.

 

**~Vina’s POV~**

    I woke up in a fetal position, with Sebastian’s warm arms wrapped around me. I looked over at my bedside clock; 7 am it showed. The sunlight filtered through the open window, casting a cozy glow over me and Seb. Slowly turning my body around, I faced my boyfriend, admiring how relaxed his face looked. I knew filming was going well, but the night shoots were getting to him. Sebastian was in a deep sleep, with his mouth slightly agape,soft snores escaping. Smiling to myself, I placed a soft kiss on his forehead and moved quietly out of bed to make his birthday breakfast. I stood up, put on my kimono robe, closed my bedroom door, and made my way into the kitchen. Gathering the ingredients for the blueberry empanadas, I set my morning playlist of Hawaiian ukulele music and plugged it into the speakers, adjusting the volume low. After stretching my arms and silently giving my morning prayer, I got started on making the blueberry filling and dough. Fully awake now, I hummed and danced to the music and got started on making the empanadas. Whenever I am baking or cooking alone and I’m listening to music, my mind just enters another space and my surroundings are muted. I felt Sebastian’s warm body behind me, with his hands placed on my hips.

    “Buna dimineata, dragă,” he said whispering to my ear, placing his chin on my shoulder.

    “Ay, you’re supposed to be in bed birthday boy!” I exclaimed, craning my neck to face him. “I’m making the empanadas, as promised!”

    “I woke up, expecting to snuggle with my girlfriend but she wasn’t there,” Seb pouted as he sat himself at the kitchen table.

    “I wanted to let you sleep,” I explained, placing the empanadas on the baking tray. “We can go back to bed and cuddle, lemme put these in the oven.” I set the oven timer to fifteen minutes and Sebastian grabbed my hand, pulling me to his chest and lead us back to my bed. We cuddled among the ruffled covers and fell asleep. If it wasn’t for the loudness of the oven alarm, Seb would not have his birthday empanadas. I fetched the homemade pastries and we had breakfast in bed.

   

I am hiding a huge secret from Sebastian. Chris and Nicole were not at Big Sur, as Seb thought. They were in fact at the beach house, getting ready for Sebastian’s surprise birthday party. Chris had convinced me to not tell Sebastian and play along with the surprise. I was adamant at first because I am not the best at keeping secrets but then realized that a party would do Seb some good after his crazy filming schedule over the past two months. Chris had invited all of the cast members of Avengers 3, Pt 1 and planned the party to start 6 in the evening, since half of the cast had children and needed to be back to their homes at 9. Tricking Seb would not be difficult since he just wanted a quiet day in. After checking my phone for party updates from Nicole, I looked over my shoulder and saw Seb sitting up against the headboard, with his shoulders slumped, looking sadly at his phone.

“Aww what’s wrong mi amor?” I asked cuddling over next to him and resting my head on his shoulder.

“No one has greeted me happy birthday,” Seb sighed “I know it sounds petty of me, but a quick birthday text is not that hard to send!” Chris had explicitly told everyone he invited to not contact Seb today to make the reveal even more unexpected. I’m not gonna lie, this was a little cruel but for a cunning person such as Chris, a request like this isn’t out of the ordinary.

“I’m sure they didn’t forget,” I assured him, holding his hand “I’m sure they will greet you later today..”

“I hope so..” Seb mumbled, setting his phone on the side table and laying under the covers. As soon as his head hit the pillow, Seb completely knocked out. Not wanting to disturb him, I got out of bed and into the living room where my work laptop rested.

 

For the next couple of hours, I worked on my research. Cathy and  were making real progress, these last few months we practiced our protocol on various people at the training facility. Once that was completed, we gained approval to start our actual research on test participants. Because of availability and time,  we decided to focus  our research on our the women’s cross country team at USC. To recap, Cathy and I are studying the effect that midfoot striking has, when used as a preventative measure to Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome (MTSS, ‘shin splints’). We plan to split the team of 10 in half; one half being the control group and the other acting as the experimental group. Although our sample size is relatively small, we hope our research opens a dialogue within the community on the issue. I was deep in my work zone until Chris’s text interrupted me

 **_Chris, 5:25 p.m:_ ** _Hey we’re all ready- you can come over now_ _!_

 **_Vina, 5:25 p.m:_ ** _Shit! I lost track of time- Seb is still sleeping! Don’t worry, I’ll get him there by 6!_

 **_Chris, 5:26 p.m:_ ** _No worries! Just give me a call when you guys get to the gate so we know!_

 **_Vina, 5:26 p.m:_ ** _Will do! See you in a bit!_

 

I ran to my room and was surprised a once Sleepy Seb up and about, reading my old textbooks; he was still in his boxers.

“Hey, I know you wanted to stay in tonight,” I said, slightly startling him. “But you wanna come with me to pick something up from Chris’s place real quick?”

“Uhmm, sure!” Seb replied “What do you need to pick up?”

“Oh Nicole asked me to pick up here work laptop,” I quipped “You know her, she gets forgetful sometimes!”

 

We quickly got ready: Seb tied his hair back into a small bun and was wearing olive chino shorts, a fitted gray t shirt, and black Nike’s. I was wearing a black v neck shirt, white jean shorts and red Toms; I pulled my waist length hair into a side fishtail braid. Seb insisted on driving to the beach house and I happily complied. When we got to the gate, I feigned a phone call to another friend so the Sebastian had no idea. We made our way to the front door, which was open, and entered.

“Whoa, that’s weird. Why is the door-” Seb’s out loud thoughts were interrupted with a roar of “SURPRISE” from all the party guests. They jumped out from their hiding places and ran to greet Seb happy birthday.

“Oh my god!” Seb exasperated, throwing his arms in the air, looking at me and Chris “What? How? You’re supposed to be in Big Sur!”

“That was his cover story” I explained, pulling my man into my embrace “We wanted to surprise you!”

“Well you succeeded!” Sebastian smiled, giving me a quick peck on the cheek.

“Aw enough with the kissing!” Anthony came up behind us “IT’S TIME TO PARTY”

    Anthony played the DJ for the night and Chris had pizza flown in from Seb’s favorite place in New York. The atmosphere was nice and laidback, with good vibes all around. Some of the people in attendance include: Team Cap w/their significant others (Rudd, Renner, Ruffalo, Lizzie), Team Stark w/their significant others (RDJ, Scarlett, Bettany, Chadwick, and Tom Holland, and Emily VanCamp), the Guardians w/their significant others (Chris Pratt, Dave Bautista, Bradley, and Zoe Saldana), Hemsworth and Hiddleston. Nicole and Chris decided the theme of the party was game night. Chris had set up bases in his backyard, on the beach. We had the classic games such as Twister, Monopoly, and Cards Against Humanity but we included more adult games such as Drunk Jenga and Battleship Pong. After we had all eaten, we lounged on the patio deck enjoying the party.

   

“Kickball game starts NOW!” Chris yelled, walking over to the beach and carrying the kickball. “Guys vs. Girls-  everyone HAS to play!”

We all made our way over to the beach and split ourselves into teams. Since some of the guests were in the middle of playing the various games and the rest decided to spectate our game, the teams ended up being even. The guys team included: Sebastian, Chris, Anthony, Ruffalo, RDJ,Chris Pratt, Chadwick, and Renner. The foreigners, or “3 H’s” as I nicknamed them, Hemsworth, Hiddleston, and Holland were among the spectators since they’ve never played kickball before. I was on the girls team with Nicole, Scarlett, Zoe, Emily, Anna Farris, Sunny Ruffalo, and Mackie’s wife, Sheletta.

“Man, since we all know who’s gonna win, we’ll let you ladies kick first,” Mackie cockily quipped.

“Babe, you’re gonna regret that,” Sheletta explained, motioning to Nicole and I “We have two former Division 1 athletes _and_ Black Widow!”

“Listen to your wife man,” Seb reasoned, winking at me. “She has a point- Nicole and Vina can run fast, I’ve seen them!”

While the guys delegated their positions and settled themselves on the makeshift field, my team decided to let Nicole kick first, since she played soccer and ran track. This was meant to be since Evans was pitching the kickball.

“You ain’t ready for me, Nic!” Chris playfully taunted his girl.

“Give me your worst!” My best friend clapped back.

“LET’S GO LADIES!” Zoe’s husband, Marco cheered, garnering hollers from the rest of the party goers. At this time, everyone was watching our game. This added even more intensity to the once playful game. The adrenaline running through me made me feel like I was running a college race, and I wasn’t even kicking first. Chris pitched the ball and Nicole kicked it strategically so that it flew past Mackie, who was in the outfield (between second and third base).

“Run, Nicole, RUN!” I shouted along with my ladies. That first kick allowed Nicole to reach second base.

“Dammit, Mackie!” Chadwick exclaimed “You’re supposed to _catch_ the ball, not watch it fly past you!”

“Oooh, I sense trouble on the guys team,” Zoe said as she motioned to an arguing Anthony and Chadwick.

“We got this in the bag girls,” I responded “We have to let them think they can win..”

“Good plan Vina!” Anna agreed.We huddled, feigning a strategy when we were really just going in a random order.

“Hey! NO CHEATING!” Ruffalo yelled.

“Relax hon, I’m kicking next!” Sunny smiled “You better get ready!” Chris pitched the ball, Sunny kicked the ball and we thought it was a home run, but Ruffalo caught it, making it our first out of the game. Sheletta kicked next and also got out when Sebastian caught her ball.

“YESS, that’s what I’m talking bout!!!” Anthony roared.

“We know who’s sleeping on the couch tonight!” Sheletta joked back, causing a shocked gasp from everyone.

Despite only being one strike away, we managed to get on all three bases. The following kicks allowed Zoe to be on third, Anna on second, and Scarlett on first. Manning those bases on the guys team included RDJ on third, Pratt on second, and Sebastian on first. It was my turn to kick and the air was intense, my adrenaline was pumping through, reminiscent of my racing days. As I stood on the home plate, getting myself in the zone, Chris interrupted my thoughts.

“Vina just give it to us already,” he taunted “No pressure.”

“Wow, I’m a lil disappointed Chris,” I replied “Pitch me your hardest bruh!”

And pitch he did, he rolled the ball as hard as he could. Thankfully I was able to track the direction in which it was going otherwise it would have tripped me. When I kicked the ball, it went way past Renner (who was the furthest outfielder) and into the ocean. As soon as the ball hit the water, thunderous roars came from my team and the people watching, while the guys groaned in sadness and slight anger. Me and all women ran around the field and back home to embrace our win with the rest of the team.

“Damn, Stan,” RDJ said in awe “Vina knows her way around a ball, keep her!”

“Nah bro,” Renner added “She didn’t let you win!”

“You guys are just jealous that a team of women beat you in sand kickball!” Scarlett responded, gaining nods of agreement from the rest of the ladies.

“I don’t you about you, but I had fun!” Seb smiled “It was nice watching these ladies run on the sand and I didn’t have to do anything!”

“Hey!” I exclaimed, playfully slapping Seb’s arm “Good game though, old man!”

“I’m only 35!” Sebastian whined.

At this point the game was forgotten and the ball had washed back to shore. We all headed back to the beach house and lounged on the patio. Since it was getting dark, most of the party goers left.

“Great party!” Zoe hugged me goodbye “We definitely need to hangout soon, we’ll have a girls night!”

“Did I hear girls night?!” Sheletta asked “Count me in!”

“Us too!!” Scarlett, Emily, and Anna exclaimed in unison. We all exchanged numbers and said our goodbyes. Most of the guys left as well, wishing Seb ‘Happy Birthday’.

“Happy Birthday man,” Chadwick smiled “We definitely need a kickball rematch!”

“Forreal though!” Mackie added, with Sheletta in tow “We’ll win next time, no doubt!”

“Thanks again guys for coming!” Seb smiled “See you on Monday!”

Everyone had left, leaving me, Nicole, Seb, and Chris in the living room of the beach house. We were lounging on the couches, eating pizza.

“Wow, it’s like we’re on a double date right now!” Nicole chuckled.

“We should play drunk Jenga!” I chimed “I didn’t get a chance to play earlier..”

“Refresh us on the rules please!” Chris and Seb said, looking at me and Nicole.

“So basically, it’s the same rules,” I explained as Nicole and I stacked the blocks “Except that in this game, each block has something written on it. Every time you take a block, you have to follow what is written on it.”

“For this one,” Nicole added, showing the guys one block “It says ‘Hand switch’, meaning you have to use your nondominant hand for the rest of the game.”

“And as always, the game ends when the tower falls!” I finished. We settled ourselves around the coffee table, with Chris sitting across from me, Nicole sitting to my right, and Sebastian sitting to my left. Since this game was a drinking version, we had our beers on standby. I went first since I was the youngest out of the all of us. The first block I pulled had “Shots” written on it. This meant that everyone had to take a shot.

“Wow, this _would_ be the first one I get!” I said disapprovingly, shaking my head as Sebastian poured four shots of tequila.

“You guys can definitely stay over!” Chris said before we took our shots. Nicole went next; her block had ‘Wasted education’.

“Ugh, I hate you right now Nic!” I half yelled, grabbing my beer.

“What does that even mean?!” Seb asked.

“It means we have to take a drink for every year of college we finished,” Nicole dreaded “So Vina and I have to take 7 gulps, you take 4, and Chris takes 0”

“HAHA suckazz!” Chris howled, throwing his head back grabbing his left boob. Sebastian went next; his block ‘Nicknames’ written on it. His nicknames were interesting to say the least; Chris would now be called “Captain BAE”, Nicole was “Red Canadian”, and I was ‘Khaleesi Mocha’. We ran with these nicknames until Chris forgot to call Nicole by her given nickname, causing him to take two shots of tequila since her name had two words. Chris pulled the ‘Accent’ block, meaning we got to collectively choose an accent he had to speak in for the rest of the game. We chose Russian and this made the game even more fun. The game continued on, some of the blocks pulled include: Siblings (one shot for every sibling you have), Strip (everyone pulled this one since there were multiples: guys were topless, girls pantless), and Slap some Ass (this was a hoot because Chris had to slap Seb). The tower was getting pretty unstable and barren. As I went to pull my block, the tower came crashing down.

“Finally!” Chris exasperated “I do _not_ want another shot!”

“Same here,” Nicole added, wrapping her arms around Chris “We’re going to bed, night guys!” and off upstairs they went.

“Thank you for surprising me, I haven’t had that much fun in a while..” Sebastian murmured softly as he gave me a bear hug.

“It was my pleasure!” I kissed his scruffy cheek, softly rubbing his back. We swayed in silence, just enjoying the stillness of the night. We made our way to the guest bedroom and knocked out on the bed, falling asleep in each other's arms.

 

_Monday morning..._

**~ Sebastian’s POV~**

This past weekend was by far one of the best weekends I’ve had in a long time. At my surprise party, I got to relax and just be around my wonderful cast members. I was genuinely surprised, I was just content in spending my birthday with Netflix and my woman but the party was just what I needed. I am also so proud of Vina, not only for planning the party, but also for conversing with everyone at the party, most of which she had met that day. During the party, while I was bidding goodbye to the guys of the cast, I couldn’t help but admire the joy Vina exuded while talking with the women of the cast. Granted, the kickball game we had played earlier that  night did act as a bonding event, Vina was truly welcomed by everyone.

   

_“Keep her,” RDJ said as he noticed my wandering gaze on Vina. “She’s a gem and so accomplished at such a young age!”_

_“You seem more relaxed when you’re around her,” Dave added “I’ve seen the way you guys look at each other and that is the look of soulmates.”_

_“Yes! She seems to make you happy Seb!” Chadwick agreed._

_“She lights up my soul,” I murmured sadly “I don’t plan on letting her go… but we leave to film in Atlanta next week to shoot for the next four months.”_

_“Relationships are tough, mate” Hemsworth explained, clapping my back “but if it’s meant to be, everything will work out!”_

_“Man, there’s Skype!” Mack Attack exclaimed “Just call her when we have set breaks!”_

_“Thanks for the advice guys!” I replied “I really appreciate, I do, but I think I can get by just fine!”_

 

    I am currently have my luggage packed and am bringing out by the front door. Just as I walk to the kitchen, the ring of the doorbell interrupts my path. I answer the door and am welcomed by the presence of Vina. She stands in front of me, wearing her work outfit of black pants, white blouse and red flats. Her long hair was pulled into a low ponytail and her smile instantly made my morning both brighter and sadder.

   

“Oh my!” I exclaimed, surprised “I thought you have work today!”

    “I do, I just thought I’d stop by before work!” She smiled,coming into my outstretched arms.

    “I’m glad you came,” I murmured taking her into my embrace, burying my face in her hair. “Listen, I know we haven’t really talked about it much but I-”

    “Wait! Before you say anything, I just want to say something” she said looking deep into my eyes “These past two and a half months have been amazing and I’m so happy to spend time with you! I know these next four months are gonna be long, but we’ll take it day by day, whatever it takes!”

    “I couldn’t agree more!” I smiled, my lips raining soft kisses on her neck “Has anyone told you that you’re amazing?!”

    “I uh- oh hmmm” Vina moaned softly as my hands grabbed her hips closer to mine and caressing her lower back “I’ve been told by a guy, he reminds me of you by the way!”

    “Oh really?” I flirted back, keeping her body close, my lips whispered in her ear “Please tell me more...”

    “Hmm, well he’s a real dork,” my girlfriend said as I tickled her sides “Hey! You should also know that even though he’s funny, sweet and adorable, he’s incredibly handsome and sexy, his cheekbones are so defined and his hair is luscious.”

    “He sounds like an absolute dreamboat,” I replied softly, my hands move up to her waist.

    “He definitely is!” she laughed “I’m really gonna miss him though..”

    “Aw darling, I’m gonna miss you too!” I responded “We’ll do a Skype session everyday!”

    “Agreed,” Vina answered suggestively, her hands traveling to my hips “Who knows, maybe you’ll get a surprise!”

    “Oooh a surprise you say..” I smirked, raising my eyebrows.

    “Yes! If I tell you then it won’t be a surprise!” Vina reasoned with my pouting “Good things come to those who wait..”

    “If you say so!” I said pulling her in for one last hug as Chris walked in ( _finally_ ready).

    “Trust me!” Vina laughed, saying her goodbyes to Chris and me. “I really gotta get goin boys, fly safe and have fun! Seb, call me when you land and Chris, keep him outta trouble!!”

    “Yes, ma’am!” I saluted, causing her to giggle and blush, man I absolutely _adore_ when I make her blush. “I’ll be the one keeping him outta trouble!”

    “Too true!” Vina exclaimed, waving to us as she got into her car.

    “Bye Vi!” Chris chimed, waving back.

 

    On the car ride over to the airport was quick, no traffic at all. Chris and I looked over our flight schedule and talked about our women.

    “Man, what are the chances of us having physical therapists as girlfriends?!” Chris jokingly laughed.

    “I have no idea, but I’m glad we met them and we’re both happy!” I smiled back.

 

These next four months are  going to be busy with filming, and I am excited for it. The only thing that gives me anxiety is not being around Vina everyday. These past two months, I have been very lucky to hang out with her. Her smile, her laugh, and just her genuine kindness she has for those around her, lights up my heart.I just hope that we can continue what we have in these next four months.

   

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


   

 

   

   

   

   


	8. The Time with Galas, Speculation, and Halloween

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sebastian and Vina officially take their relationship long distance since Seb is filming in Atlanta and Vi is back in LA continuing her orthopedic residency and research. Despite being on opposite sides of the US, fun times ensue!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first two images below depict Seb and Vina's looks for the gala. The last image is the Captain Marvel costume the girl at the hospital was wearing.

  _September 2017_

**~Vina’s POV~**

The morning breeze and the warm sun is beating down on my face as I run along the Santa Monica beach. It’s 7 am and I’m on my morning run of 6 miles, my feet pounding on the wet sand. As my mind wanders off to the calming sound of the blue waves, I think about the past three months of my time here in Los Angeles. I have been very fortunate to have a job with a cool company; my mentor Cathy is amazing and I am constantly learning from my colleagues and patients about my profession. She inspires me to learn more about myself and to advocate for my patients. My job doesn’t feel like _work_ and I love it! Helping my patients get better and building relationships with them is very self fulfilling. I also love the environment I work in, everyone gets along and has a high regard for each other.

 

I am also happily taken by Sebastian Stan. If you told my high school self that I would be dating an actor, I would have never believed you. Thankfully, my mindset on dating has changed since then. Popularity and status was never what I look for in a partner and that still remains it’s just that I don’t really focus on appearance as much as I used to. I met a funny and incredibly kind and respectful man that _happens_ to be an actor. I admire Sebastian and his passion for his work, but I’d still be attracted to him even if he _wasn’t_ an actor. When I’m with him, I feel like myself. Ever since we started dating, we haven’t really been out in public and have spent most of our time together watching movies, eating, or just laying in bed listening to music and talking about life. I know we’ll have to announce our relationship to the public, but for now I’m just enjoying the time we have together, before we have to deal with paparazzi chaos. I just hope that it won’t be too crazy, since I am not in the entertainment industry.

 

Seeing the empty pier ahead, I force my legs to sprint so I can turn around and head back home. Mentally thinking about finishing a race, I can feel the warmth seeping through my quadriceps and calves, with the mild burn of lactic acid following after. Adjusting my breath, I motivate my legs to push harder, swinging my arms to propel myself. Once I reached the pier, I slow down to a jog and turned around and make my way home. I maintain my pace, taking in my busy surroundings. It’s Wednesday morning and the L.A bustle is underway, with stores opening and people getting to work. I increase my pace and make it back to my apartment. I do a quick cool down of yoga stretches, eat my breakfast of oatmeal with blueberries, and head to my room to get ready for work. As soon as I stripped off my black running capri leggings and Stanford XC running top, my phone rang, signalling a Facetime call from Sebastian. Being in a hurry and missing my boyfriend (whom I haven’t seen in person for a month) I answered the video call anxiously.

“Good morning Seb!” my sports bra and panty clad self smiled into the camera, seeing my boyfriend transformed into Bucky Barnes, complete with the metal arm and long hair.

“It _is_ a good morning, indeed!” Sebastian cheekily grinned, noticing my lack of clothing and licking his lip.’There’s my Seb’ I thought. “How was your morning run, dragă?”

“It was great, I ran on the beach!” I replied “How is filming going?”

“HOT” Seb deadpanned “My hair doesn’t help at all, but the shoot is going really well!”

“You should braid your hair, it helps!” I suggested “Maybe Bucky can be hipster..”

“I’ll ask the Russos!” Sebastian said excitedly “I’ll do anything to tame this hair!”

“Let me know what they say” I chuckled.

“So do you have anything planned for Friday?” my boyfriend asked, his steel blue eyes looking at me.

“I _do_ have Friday plans that _don’t_ involve staying in!” I happily chimed. “It’s a work thing: the clinic is having a gala in honor of the research Cathy and I are doing. Since we finished the preliminary protocol and have finalized our experiment plan, we’re presenting what we have so far to the donors of the research grant!”

“Wow, honey that’s AMAZING!” Seb proudly smiled.

“Thank you! I’m excited!” I replied “The gala will be at the courtyard since we’re also showcasing the training facility and research lab. It’ll be a formal black tie event since we’re also fundraising to expand the research lab..”

“Aw, I’m proud of you, I really am,” Seb sadly said “But it sucks that I can’t be there to see you all dressed up..”

“Aw don’t worry about it, mi tesoro” I assured him “I’ll send you pictures!”

“Okay, I can’t wait to see them,” Sebastian responded “I gotta get back on set, they’re calling me!”

“I have to get ready for work!” I added “Bye, talk later!” We blew kisses and said our goodbyes.

 

_Friday (Gala day)_

Fridays at the clinic are always fun: the clinic is busier (especially after lunch), we can wear jeans and t-shirts, and the employees take turns setting the Friday office playlist. Today was my turn to play the in-house DJ and I settled on playing the Hamilton cast soundtrack. What can I say, I’m a sucker for anything that Lin-Manuel Miranda creates! Throughout the rest of the afternoon, both PTs and patients were lip syncing along to the soundtrack, it was quite a sight. Because of the gala tonight, the clinic is closing early at 4:30 pm. I was working with my last patient of the day: a thirteen year old girl seeking treatment for mild, non structural scoliosis. Tanya (not her real name, privacy reasons) was sitting upright on a stability ball with his holding a resistance band that was positioned above her head, in a downward v shape. I had showed her this exercise to strengthen her back muscles. Tanya is one of my favorite patients because she reminds me of myself when I was her age; she’s plays soccer and is also really passionate about school. We totally bonded over our mutual love of Disney and Broadway musical soundtracks.

 

“I know all the lyrics to this soundtrack!” Tanya exclaimed, bobbing her head to the cheerful melody of ‘The Schuyler Sisters’.

“I do too,” I smiled, making sure her back remained straight as she was doing the exercises. “Do you have any weekend plans?”

“Not really,” Tanya said thoughtfully “Oh wait, some of my cousins are visiting so we’ll be showing them around LA. Do you have any plans Dr. V?”

“Oooh that sounds fun!” I exclaimed “No weekend plans for me, but I do have the gala tonight!”

“What are you gonna wear tonight?” She asked “I heard it was fancy attire..”

“Hmm I have two dresses in mind,” I explained to her “The first dress is a simple white shift dress and the second dress is a classic red strapless dress..”

“Wear the red one!” Tanya smiled “You can never go wrong with red!”

“Alright Tanya!” I replied gesturing to her that she had finished the exercise “I’ll keep that in mind! I’ll see you next week, make sure to do your exercises!”

“Okay Dr. V!” Tanya exclaimed, waving goodbye.

 

I put the stability ball back on the shelf and headed into the staff lounge, where my dress was stored. Since LA traffic on Friday nights tend to be unpredictable and the gala starts at 6pm, I figured it would be best to get ready at the clinic. I grabbed my red dress, gold pointed pumps, makeup bag, and headed into the training facility to use the shower. As I finished curling my hair, I had a bit of a dilemma in choosing my makeup look. I don’t normally wear makeup everyday, but I can handle a good cat eye and red lip, so that is what I settled on. That and the fact that I only had black liquid eyeliner and red lipstick!

Once I was ready, I made my way over to the courtyard taking in the white fairy lights and the happy melody of Bruno Mars playing on the speakers. Although everyone was dressed to the nines, the atmosphere was relaxed. The gala organizers added a sleek dancefloor in the middle of the courtyard, with the DJ set-up next to the podium on the stage. They also added a large white projection sheet, which stood behind the podium  for mine and Cathy’s research presentation. Adjacent from the dancefloor stood the silent auction table. Some of the prizes being auctioned included season tickets to all USC sporting events, a weekend trip for two at Catalina Island, season passes to Disneyland and Universal Studios, and blind dates with each of the physical therapists at Vitality Motion. At the time the organizers asked us PTs to participate in the silent auction, we were all single and jokingly agreed. We found out just a few days ago that the blind dates were a go. The problem with this is that we’re all happily in relationships. We did reach a compromise though, the blind dates would consist of either an initial fitness/ health evaluations and a day pass to work out at the facility or a spending an afternoon with a PT (therapist chooses what to do).

 

I conversed with former classmates and professors attending the gala and networked with future employers also in attendance. Before the research presentation, the silent auction began. It was quite hilarious seeing donors fight to the USC season tickets and even more hilarious seeing them battle over getting ‘blind dates’ with us physical therapists. It was my turn being auctioned off and I had to go onstage and introduce myself.

“Hi- wow, it’s so bright up here!” I exclaimed causing the audience to chuckle, shaking my head, letting my eyes adjust to the spotlights. “Hello there! I’m Vina, I’m 24 years young, and I’m the newest physical therapist here at Vitality Motion. I am currently working on my orthopedic residency and with my mentor, Dr. Morrison on her research grant.” Looking out at the audience, I tried my best to ‘sell myself’, “For one of you lucky fellas or women,” I smiled, causing the audience to howl with laughter. “if you snag a date with me, we can either hang out here at Vitality Motion or I can teach you how to bake! My mother owns a bakery up in Palo Alto, so I _do_ have some tricks up my sleeve! May the odds ever be in your favor!”

 

And with that, the bidding war started. All the blind dates started off at $100 but there wasn’t a maximum amount, this is a fundraiser after all! It was getting pretty intense and I was getting nervous because there was a man and a women that were _really_ going for it. I would not have minded at all having my date with the woman, she seemed nice and reminded me a lot of one of my teammates from Stanford. It was the guy that made me nervous: he was the poster child for a fraternity fuckboy, he was definitely still an undergraduate student and a spoiled one at that, otherwise he wouldn’t be able to bid $1000 for a blind date with me. At this moment, the girl backed off and the auctioneer was about to announce the fraternity fuckboy’s last bid until the voice of another man shouted “$5000!” This drew a collective gasp from everyone, looking to see who had called out. The strange thing about this is I didn’t even know who the guy was. When the auction was over, I ran over to the guy demanding who he is and why he did what he did.

“Relax!” the mystery guy exclaimed. “You’re friend paid me to bid for him, he’s in front of the clinic!”

 

I made my way to the clinic as fast as I could (damn you 4 inch heels!) wondering which friend would pay $5000 to spend an afternoon with me. My suspicions were put to rest when I saw a handsome dark haired man in a sleek black suit, happily grinning at my shocked face.

“OH MY GOD!” I shouted, launching myself into my man’s arms “Sebastian! What are you doing here? Did you really just pay $5000 to spend a day with me?”

“I wanted to surprise you!” Seb smiled, his blue eyes twinkled as he took my hands into his. “I _donated_ the money for the research department and I wanted to learn to bake!”

“Aw, you adorable dork!” I laughed, giving him welcome back kiss “I’m really happy you’re here! I really missed you!”

“I really missed you too!” Sebastian said as his eyes wandered up and down my body “You look beautiful by the way, absolutely stunning!”

“Likewise,” I said as I admired his black suit “You’re looking pretty dapper, well done Bucky!”

 

We made our way back to the courtyard, walking arm in arm. We both caught up with the trainers and stunt doubles that stayed back and sat at our own table. Cathy my mentor gave her part of the speech first, thanking the people that gave her the research grant and review the plans for the research department. Earlier, we had decided that I would be presenting our preliminary work and she would do the formal thanks and introduce me.

 

“This next presenter, is a young woman I have had the pleasure of working with. She is as kind as she is intelligent. Her dedication to the physical therapy profession and the compassion she has for everyone, especially her patients is a wonderful addition to our crazy clinic. She keeps me in check and I love to think of her as my stand in daughter. Please give it up for my brilliant mentee, Dr. Vina del Torres!” Cathy happily exclaimed, garnering thunderous applause from the audience.

 

“Wow! Thank you _mom_ , for the wonderful introduction!” I smiled, causing cheerful laughter. “In all seriousness, I am quite fortunate to work with a woman as wonderful and as inspiring as Dr. Morrison….” I gave our short presentation describing our research, our preliminary findings, and how we hope our results spark a conversation.

When my presentation was over, I made my way down the stage and to the table and sat next to my boyfriend. As the audience dispersed to talk a tour of the clinic, facility, and research lab, Sebastian and I made our way to the dance floor and slow danced to the angelic voice of John Legend. Yes, he was _actually_ performing, he was a former patient at the clinic and was in town before he had to go back on tour. Sebastian pulled me into his arms, placing his hands of my lower back and wrapping my arms around his neck. His steel blue eyes stared into mine and we were silently admiring each other’s presence.

 

“A penny for your thoughts?” I softly asked, looking up at him.

“I love you Vina!” Sebastian happily declared, causing me to stop swaying to the music because of shock. “Seeing you up there speaking passionately about your job and dancing here with you in your gorgeous red dress, under these lights has made me realize that I don’t want anyone else. I’m myself when I’m around you and I’m in love with you! I’m afraid you’re stuck with me! Please say something, baby..” he pleaded at my shocked expression.

I softly giggled, placing my hand on his cheek, “I love you too Sebastian! So very much!” And with that, Sebastian’s lips found mine, giving his butterflies-in-stomach inducing kiss.

“You know, I didn’t realize how much my body _craves_ being next to yours until I my first night sleeping in my hotel in Hotlanta” Sebastian said as we continued dancing.

“Aw Seb, same here,” I said thoughtfully “I had trouble sleeping that same night. When do you go back to Atlanta?”

“My flight is Sunday night at 8,” Sebastian replied “We finally have the whole weekend together!”

“Your timing is impeccable,” I added “Nicole is in back in Alberta for the week, visiting her family and attending a peds conference. We have the apartment to ourselves too!”

“I knew we were meant for each other!” Seb fist pumped, chuckling and throwing his head back.

 

As the night drew to a close, Sebastian wrapped his suit jacket around me and pulled me to his side, wrapping his left arm around my shoulder, slinging his backpack on his right shoulder. We walked together to the parking lot, getting into my tiny purple car, and he drove us back to my apartment. I must have fallen asleep in the car; I vaguely remember Seb carrying me up to my room, gently taking off my shoes and dress, and wiping off my makeup. He stripped down to his Calvin Klein boxers and slid into bed, wrapping his arms around me.

“Te iubesc, Vina,” Seb murmured softly.

“Mahal kita, mi tesoro” I sweetly whispered back, falling asleep into his strong arms.

 

_October 2017 (first week)_

**~Sebastian’s POV~**

I’m back in Atlanta and filming is going well! Although the cast this time around is even greater (in number and talent) than the cast of Civil War, the camaraderie is strong; everyone gets along well with each other, being here feels like summer camp. It’s also worth noting that Vina’s absence on this set is frequently commented on. Whenever I’m talking to my girlfriend on the phone or Facetiming during my lunch breaks, there is _always_ a cast member that intrudes in our call. Most of the time it’s either Mackie or RDJ; they always offer to fly her here and jokingly ask her to stretch them out and give them an initial evaluation. Vina, being the kind person she is, always plays along and gently declines, saying that her research can’t be postponed.

 

I am currently sitting in the props/makeup trailer, getting my metal arm put back on and sitting next to me is Zoe Saldana, getting her green skin painted on. Paul is usually the last one to exit this trailer but he isn’t shooting today.

“How was the gala?” Zoe asks, noticing my quiet demeanor.

“It was great!” I look back at her “I was intimidated, I’m not gonna lie. I’ve never been surrounded by so many crazy, intelligent people in one space before!”

“I’m sure you did fine!” Zoe replied.

“I hope so!” I said, continuing to tell her about the auction story. As I got to the middle of the story, my agent Eric barged into the trailer, interrupting me.

 

“This just came out!” Eric exasperated, showing me his phone. On the screen blared the TMZ headline “Marvel’s Winter Soldier smitten with Mystery Woman!” As I continued to scroll down, images of me and Vina dancing and walking back to her car came into my view. I’m not at all ashamed of what went down that night, I’m just a little disappointed in myself for not being more careful. I had no intention of causing the public to focus their attention to Vina, since no one deserves to be thrust in the spotlight so abruptly. She didn’t want or care for the attention either, god bless her soul. Vina and I jointly decided not to go public with our relationship for this reason and I can’t help but feel that I let her down.

 

“How long has this been up?” I asked, my jaw clenching in worry and slight anger.

“For about half an hour,” Eric replied “I know Vina is a sweetheart and I approve, but as your agent, I suggest that we take this down.”

Zoe, noticing the tension in the trailer suggested, “Seb I think you should call Vina first, to check up on her and see if she has seen this yet..”

“Good idea!” I agreed, dialing my girlfriend’s number and feeling a sense of relief when she picked up on the first ring.

“Seb, I was _just_ about to call you!” Vina exclaimed “Have you seen what they posted about us?!”

“I have, Eric just showed me,” I replied “He thinks we should take it down, but honestly I’m fine with whatever we decide..”

“I mean, you can’t really see my face judging by the angle of these pictures..” Vi analyzed. “I don’t mind leaving them up, but I’m not quite ready to reveal myself to the world, so to speak, because of work. This can potentially impact how my current patients treat me.”

“Very true,” I responded “I’m sorry Vi, I didn’t mean inconvenience you with this, but I swear to God, those fucking paps get on my nerves…”

“Seb honey, stay calm!” Vina soothed “I also think that by taking down these photos, people will get the idea that you are trying to hide something.. You’re not ashamed of me are you?

“Of course not!” I assured my woman. “Baby, I love you and I’m so proud of you! I can live with keeping these pictures up, but I won’t publicly announce our relationship yet, until you’re ready. This way you can maintain your anonymity..”

“I love you too!” Vi happily exclaimed. ‘And I can live with that! I know we’ll have to go public eventually and I’ll be ready whenever that time comes, I just want it to be done on our terms.”

“Agreed, we’ll be in total control that way,” I said. “Listen, I have to get back on set soon, I’ll call you later tonight. Zoe says hi by the way!”

“Looking forward to it!” Vina laughed. “HI ZOE! I MISS YOU!”

“I MISS YOU TOO!” Zoe chimed back as Vina and I said our goodbyes and hung up.

“Wow, for someone not in our business, Vina is incredibly understanding. I’m glad you guys figured that out together!” Zoe said to me as we walked out of the trailer. “Keep her, Sebastian!”

“She really is!” I agreed and smiled back. “I don’t plan on letting her go!”

 

_Halloween_

Ever since Vina and I decided to not take action against TMZ in taking down the gala night photos, my fans have been speculating on Vina’s identity. I would know because I occasionally lurk on my fan accounts on Instagram. Instagram is the only form of social media I am active on and it honestly scares me to think of the craziness that is happening at the other platforms. As October bore on, it had come to my attention that one of the gala attendees Snapchatted parts of Vina’s speech that night. Some fans made the connection and found Vina’s professional bio on Vitality Motion’s website. As soon as fans found out who Vina was, their response was positive for the most part. There will always be some fans that won’t be happy, but hey I can’t please them all! One of the nicer comments about Vina include “Wow, if this is really true, they’d make beautiful babies: incredibly smart and gorgeous!” and “Bucky really stepped up his game, he’s with a real superhero!”. Although I don’t validate my relationships on public opinion, it’s comments like these that make me grateful and thankful for my wonderful fans. It gives me hope that they’ll welcome her with open arms.

This has also resulted in various memes (or mee-mees, as I say) that were hilariously true. One of my favorites was a meme of me with my four previous girlfriends (all actresses) and the pretty badass picture of my girlfriend finishing a collegiate cross country race. The caption was so cleverly titled “Dates 4 actresses and finds a former Stanford D1 runner and USC alumna DPT.” The account that made this meme posted it with the caption “We know who got lucky in this relationship #GirlsRunTheWorld”. As soon as I saw this I desperately wanted to comment back, confirming the rumor but I sent it to Vina instead. She loved this meme as well and assured me that we would confirm our relationship soon. Vina is also active on Instagram but has her profile on private. Her only qualm about this meme was the picture of her they chose.

 **_Vina:_ ** _Of all the pictures, it had to be this one! I hate my race face!_

 **_Seb:_ ** _Your race face is pretty intense, I love it!_

 

The children’s hospital here in Atlanta is having a small parade for the kids and they gave graciously invited us cast members to come out for a bit to say hi. The parade organizer’s only request was for all of us to come in our Marvel costumes. We’re currently gathered in the lobby area, waiting for the children to come. Parents we’re already snapping pictures and I can’t really blame them. Seeing grown adults dressed up as Marvel characters isn’t a daily occurrence. As soon as the kids entered the lobby, we were welcomed by their shocked gasps and shouts of excitement.

“Captain America!”

“Iron Man!!”

“Hulk!”

‘Black Panther!”

“Starlord!! Gamora!”

“Bucky, Black Widow, FALCON!” the kids squealed in utter excitement. We all took photos and even had some time to speak with most of the children. One encounter that was most heartwarming was when seven year old girl, dressed as Captain Marvel came up to me.

“Hi Bucky!” she smiled at me in her high voice. “My sister says you’re dating a superhero!”

Not wanting to lie to this little girl I replied truthfully, “I am, she’s a physical therapist!”

“I love my physical therapist!” mini Captain Marvel smiled and pointed to her prosthetic. “She taught me how to use my leg and always cheers me on!”

“That’s awesome!” I said back, trying to withhold my tears. “Can I take a picture with you?” Looking hopefully at her mom, who happily obliged as I happily snapped a selfie on my phone. After her mom took a picture of us on her phone, the girl asked

“Can you tell your girlfriend that she’s a real superhero and that I hope to be like her when I grow up?”

“I sure will!” I happily said, my eyes watering as I gave her a hug. “It was nice to meet you, I love your costume!” I waved goodbye to her as she walked away with the rest of the children.

 

Later that night, I changed out of my Winter Soldier costume and headed back to my hotel room to shower and get ready for bed. As I lay in bed, I decided to post the picture of mini Captain Marvel and I on my Instagram with the caption “Had a great time visiting the children’s hospital with my cast- this lil lady schooled me on what a real superhero is! #HappyHalloween”. After, I decided to Facetime my girlfriend and when she answered, a reincarnation of Pocahontas was staring back at me.

“Hello Pocahontas!” I smiled and waved.

“Hello, Romanian with no shirt!” Vina laughed. “How was your visit to the hospital? I just saw your post..”

“It was amazing,” I responded and retelling my encounter with mini Captain Marvel to her. My story brought happy tears to my girlfriend’s eyes.

“Oh my goodness,” Vina smiled, wiping away her tears. “I wish I was there to meet her. Nicole would have _adored_ her, since she’s specializing in pediatrics!”

“I know, Chris and I were just talking about that!” I added. “It looks like you guys had fun at the clinic!”

“We did! We were all in costume and some of the patients too!” she chimed. “Hey, what are your Thanksgiving plans?”

“Hmm, now that I think about it, I don’t have any since my parents will be in Romania by then,” I thought aloud. “Why?”

“Well, I just got off the phone with my parents and they wanted me to invite you to spend Thanksgiving with us!” Vina replied. “I feel like they want to see you more than they want to see _me_..”

“I would love to spend Thanksgiving with you!” I smiled back. “And that’s not true, your dad just texted me the other day to ask how you were, since _you_ didn’t pick up your phone!”

“I was out getting lunch!” my girlfriend exclaimed. “I even called him after, ugh it’s still a little weird that you guys text…”

“Well, I love it!” I proudly said “His running advice really does come in handy when I have to shoot running scenes!”

“Aw, I’m glad!” Vina quipped. “I gotta go now Seb, I’m going out dancing with Nicole and some of our coworkers!”

“Alrighty, be safe!” I waved back “I love you!!”

“I will!” Vina smiled. “Te iubesc, Sebastian! Did I say that right?” she giggled.

“Your accent is perfect! Noapte buna!” I replied.

“Magandang gabi, dulces sueños!” Vina said softly, sending me a kiss through the camera. Not to be corny or anything, but I felt that kiss come through me and my heart soared with so much happiness.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Since I am taking summer class over the next 3 weeks, I might not be able to update until my class is finished. I might start writing chapter 9 later tonight, but definitely expect an updated chapter in 3 weeks!  
> Happy reading xo


	9. Thanksgiving and Surprise Announcements

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sebastian experiences his first Thanksgiving with Vina and her family back in Palo Alto. With their relationship official to the world, they're no longer weary of concealing their feelings for each other.  
> * entire chapter written in Vina's POV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First image below is inspiration for Vina's Thanksgiving Instagram post  
> WARNING: Slight smut ahead! (phone sex)

 

_November 15, 2017_

**~Vina’s POV~**

It’s a busy day at the clinic: I am double booked with patients for the rest of my afternoon and since I had three initial evaluations, I _still_ have to chart my progress notes. Now that I think about it, this whole week has been busy since Cathy and I did our research on our test group and are now finalizing our results. Although the clinic closes at 7 pm, I have a feeling that I’ll be here until at least 9 to finish all my charting. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely adore my job, but sometimes the amount of paperwork I have to do is ridiculous. On the bright side, all my patients are in their early twenties and are athletes. One of the perks of my job is working with a diverse patient population, it keeps me on my toes. The patient I am working with now is a high school junior that plays soccer. I have been working with her since I was hired; she had her left Achilles tendon repaired surgically and has been at the clinic for rehab. She is about 16 weeks post-op and is progressing beautifully. Julie* has been a relatively easy patient, since she does all the exercises I prescribe her and genuinely wants to be cleared to play for her team again. Today, Julie’s therapeutic exercises include calf raises and standing single leg raises.

“Okay Jules,” I say as she finishes her heel raises. “I wanna try a new exercise, I think you’re ready for it!”

“Let’s hope so!” she exclaims. “What’s the exercise?”

“So because you were able to handle the exercises today without pain,” I explain, getting out a Bosu ball. “I wanna try an exercise on this ball.”

“Uhhh okay,” she says timidly, eying the bosu ball like it’s a ball of fire.

“Don’t worry, we’ll leave the flat end on the ground,” I assure her. “I just wanna see if you will be able to balance on it, while closing your eyes.”

“What?! Why?” Julie asks, slightly bewildered.

“It’ll help with your proprioception: how your body unconsciously responds to the things around you,” I explain “I’ll be right behind you so you won’t fall.”

“Okay, I’ll give it a try!” she hesitates, but as soon as she did them, it’s almost as if she didn’t have the surgery, her balance was perfect.

“Wow, you really are progressing more than I thought!” I say as I observe her. “Try standing on one leg but keep your eyes open this time.” Julie follows my instruction and it’s evident that this was a little challenging for her, but not to the point where it caused her to fall.

“Okay, you’re doing great Julie!” I say, before moving on to my next patient. “I’ll get Max to work with you on the rest of your exercises. Have a Happy Thanksgiving! See you in a few weeks!”

“Alrighty, Vina! Have a Happy Thanksgiving too!” Julie smiles as she switches legs on the bosu ball. I move on to my last three patients and their visits went by surprisingly fast because they were all getting discharged from therapy. After I had given the graduation clinic t-shirt to my last patient, Sheri the receptionist comes into the gym and walks towards me, with a big smile on her face.

“Oh my, that smile can only mean two things: Oscar and his therapy dog are here or something else..,” I say as she comes by my side.

“A flower delivery came for you just now, I put it in the office!” she exclaimed, causing the rest of my coworkers to cheer obnoxiously.

“OOoooh, looks like Bucky sent his _real_ soldier!” Dave snickered, causing the people near to howl with laughter.

“Oh my lord, shut it will ya!” I say blushing embarrassingly as I punch him in the arm. “Salamat Sheri!”

As I enter the front office, my eyes are welcomed with a terra cotta potted plant of beautiful, dark violet orchids. Nearing the table where the plant is placed on, I see a card that is addressed to me. Opening it, I read a note from Sebastian. It reads:

 _Buna_ _iubită,_

_Even though I can’t be with you right now, I just wanted to say Happy 4 months! I feel like I’ve known you a lot longer than 4 months though.. Anyway, I saw these beauties at the farmer's market and instantly thought of you! See you in five days!_

_I love you,_

_Seb_

 

“Well, shit” I thought to myself since I completely forgot that our anniversary was today. Seb and I really didn’t make monthly anniversaries a big deal, but I still felt a little bad since he went out of his way to send me flowers. The fact that he remembered that I preferred potted plants or flowers than bouquets doesn’t help ease my guilt. I definitely needed to make it up to him, I thought to myself as I got started on my charting. Over the past few months, the level of intimacy Seb and reached included heavy makeout sessions, but that’s about it. In our makeout sessions, I’ve let Seb slide his hands under my shirt to feel my bare breasts but we have not yet seen each other naked. We have not tried being intimate over the phone but today, I was curious to change that.  

 

I must have _really_ felt bad because I got done charting in an hour and was able to be home by 8pm. Once I got back to my apartment, I ate dinner and showered quickly. As I got ready for bed, my phone chimed, signalling a text from Nicole:

 **_Nicole, 8:25 p.m:_ ** _Hey Vi! Just letting you know that I’m crashing at the hospital tonight- busy day earlier and I’m still stuck here charting!”_

 **_Vina, 8:26 p.m:_ ** _Oh no, hopefully you’ll be done soon! Thanks for letting me know, see you tmrw! Night!_

 **_Nicole, 8:27 p.m:_ ** _God, I hope so! Night!_

 

I settled myself on my soft, full sized bed and dialed my boyfriend’s number, secretly hoping he was still awake since it was midnight in Atlanta. Thankfully, he answered on the third ring and I was greeted by the deep timbre of his voice.

“Hello, mi amore!” Seb answered softly.

“Hi honey,” I replied “I didn’t wake you up did I?”

“Nope, I just got out of the shower,” he explained “The shoot ran long tonight..”

“Oh I should let you sleep!” I exclaimed “I just wanted to let you know that I got the orchids, they’re beautiful by the way- I love them!”

“Don’t you love me?” Seb whined, although I couldn’t see it, I swear he was pouting.

“Sebastian, I _do_ love you! More than the orchids!” I giggled.

“Seriously though, please don’t hang up. I miss your voice and I can’t sleep!” He called out.

“Hmm, I know something that’ll take care of both of those things..” I murmured softly.

“Really? What could it possibly be?” Seb asked curiously.

“Just relax mi tesoro,” I say huskily as I prop myself against my pillows. “What are you wearing?”

“Ahhh, I see where this is goin,” Seb cheekily answers, as if he sensed my lust for him over the phone. “I’m not wearing anything”

“Mhmm, I wish I was there right now to see you Seb,” I softly moan into the phone, imagining how perfect he must look, nakedly sprawled out on his bed.

“Same here,” Seb replies lustfully. “What would you do to me if you were here right now? Please, describe _everything._ ”

“First, I would treat you to a soft tissue massage,” I say descriptively. “I would have you lay on your stomach and I would straddle my naked self on your gorgeous ass. That way I’ll be able to massage the muscles on your back, the ones you work so hard to achieve..”

“Oohhh God Vi! Are you _really_ in the nude right now?!” Seb frustratingly groans.

“I am Seb,” I return his question. “Just imagine I’m with you right now. After I massage your back, I move on to massaging the front of your body. I’ll settle myself on your hips to admire how sexy you look laid out beneath me.”

“Geeez, fuckk! Baby, tell me more!” Seb moans out, I hear a sliding sound as well and imagine him stroking his manhood.

“Yeahhh Seb, touch yourself for me,” I moan back, as I softly trail my hand down my body, reaching the apex of my thighs. “I’d let my hands explore the hardness of your taut body, caressing your abs and moving down to your hips, trailing my fingers along that V cut, getting closer to the place you want me to explore most.”

“For being such a tease,” Seb growls as the skin on skin sounds get louder in intensity “I would grab your hips and grind them down on mine.”

“Ohhh my god yesss, I would comply to that!” I moan loudly, as my middle finger slides across my wet slit. “Sebbb, baby, you’re making me so _wet_!”

“Ahhhh, oh god! Don’t stop!” he groans loudly, causing an instant wave of wetness and pleasure in me.

“Ohhh Seba- oh baby you feel so good!” I cry out, closing my eyes, picturing my boyfriend fingering my hot, wet channel as I circle around my clit, my hips thrusting up to meet my hand.

“Yesyesyes, ohhh fffuck! Yesss!” he growls. “You feel _fucking_ fantastic Vi..”

“Ohhhh Seb! I’m - ahhh so- uhhh close!!” I moan, my fingers desperately trying to find my release. I can feel a coil in my stomach starting to tighten and a tingling sensation starting at my toes.

“Ohhh fuck yesss! Just let go baby!” He says as he touches himself, his hand moving faster on his hardness.

“Ahhhh oh god! I’m cumming! Uhhh Sebastiannn!” I cry out as I through my head back and close my eyes in pure ecstasy. Even though my eyes are shut, I can see bursts of orange, pink, and yellow, as I reach my release. “Ohhh Seb, come for me mi amor!”

“Huh-oh, hnng oh god! Fuuuccckk, oh Vinaaa!” Seb’s animalistic roar filled my ears like music as he came.

“Mahal kita, Sebastian,” I softly murmur as I settle myself underneath my blanket, trying to catch my breath.

“Te amo mucho Vina!” he sweetly replies back. “That was the best plan by the way, I’m sleepy. You wore me out!”

“That was so hot!” I chuckle softly. “You wore _me_ out! We should probably sleep now, it’s almost one over there!”

“I know,” Seb responds “Magandang gabi! Did I say that right?”

“You’re accent needs a little tweaking, but we’ll work on it when you get back!” I chuckle. “Noapte buna, Sebastian!”

 

_November 21, 2017_

Sebastian, Vince, and I are currently driving along I-5 on our way to Palo Alto. Before departing, we had to make a pit stop at Pasadena took pick up my brother Vince. Sebastian is driving, I am sitting next to him in front, and my brother has knocked out, his tall body taking the entire back seat. Making a 6 hour drive back to the Bay Area with two six foot guys, caused me to leave Rita back in LA  and get a rental car for this 4 day trip.

Seb flew in yesterday morning with Chris for a meeting with Marvel, it was top secret. As hard as I tried to get him to spill the beans, Seb just assured me that I had nothing to worry about. Since Nicole’s 25th birthday was also yesterday, the four of us celebrated by having dinner at a new Thai fusion restaurant that opened. Dinner was great because it was the first time we all hung out together since Seb’s surprise birthday party. The relaxed atmosphere around us was interrupted as soon as we exited the restaurant. As soon as Seb and I stepped out, flashing lights and questions were thrown at us. Sebastian pulled my body close to his, putting his arm around me. We both kept our faces blank, our eyes looking down at the ground, even though they were shielded by our hats, (Seb wearing a cap and me wearing a black fedora).

_“Seb, is this your new girlfriend?”_

_“Hey Vina, wanna give me a massage?” this prompted an internal fury in Seb, I could feel it in his arm tightening protectively around me, his jaw clenching in pure anger._

_“Don’t degrade her like that!!!” Seb exclaimed furiously, in a Winter Soldier manner. We walked quickly to my black rental Jeep, got in, and drove away from the chaos._

_“I’m so so sorry about that Vina!” Seb pleaded, as he sped through the freeway. “That scum should not have treated you like that!”_

_“Sebastian, honey I get it. Slow down,please,” I assured him, my hand softly stroking his denim clad thigh. “I know it comes with your job, I’ll just have to deal with it. Besides, I didn’t really hear him because I couldn’t stop thinking about how DELICIOUS the pad thai was!”_

_“You’re  amazing, you know that!” Seb chuckled as he took my hand and placed it to his lips._

_“I’ve been told once or twice,” I smiled cheekily._

 

As we reached the halfway point to Palo Alto, I lazily browsed my Instagram feed and had come to find pictures of me, Seb, Nicole, and Chris from last night. Various accounts had cropped the pictures so that it focused on us as separate couples. To be honest though, Seb and I looked very color coordinated. I wore my white skinny jeans, a black linen dress, with a slight at the thigh, a gray pashmina scarf, and my tan flat sandals. Sebastian wore his white jeans with a grey fitted shirt and his black leather jacket and tan boots. This was completely unintentional and I was about to change outfits, but we were running late.

“Geez, they really do post pictures fast!” I thought aloud.

“Huh?” Seb asked turning his head to look at me. I put my phone out and showed him the paparazzi pictures. “Man, I can’t catch a break, especially when I’m in LA.”

“This doesn’t happen to you in New York?” I asked curiously.

“Not really, no one really cares and there are way more famous people than me that live there,” he replied as he took the next exit to stop by the gas station. I filled the tank up and switched places with Sebastian so he can take a break from driving.

“I still can’t believe you know how to drive a stick shift!” Seb smiled as I entered the freeway once more. “None of my exes knew how to handle a manual car.”

“Hah, glad I’m be your first!” I laughed.

 

The last half of the drive went by smoothly, Vince finally woke up and was in deep conversation with Sebastian about Marvel and space. Since Vince in his senior year at CalTech studying Aerospace engineering, he filled Seb in on his experience doing his co-op at NASA. They literally talked nonstop for three hours, which is really fine by me because it gave me time to myself and enjoy the drive. We made it in time for dinner with my family.

As per usual, our house was packed since my Tito Jun, my aunt Ela, and their kids (my 1st cousins) Asia and Geo were staying over for Thanksgiving week. They are visiting from San Diego and have driven in yesterday. Asia is the same age as Vince and is studying music composition at Berklee College of Music in Boston and Geo is a senior in high school, he plans to go into film production. Since they are taking two of the guest rooms, Seb and I have a room to ourselves. After we settled our stuff in the room, we went down to the kitchen to help bring out the dinner out on the backyard patio, where my dad had set up a long dinner table. Also joining us for dinner was my Tita Lydia, Tito John, and my cousins Naia and Imyna. So in all, Sebastian was having dinner with a family of thirteen people, including myself.

“So Sebastian, this isn’t even our whole family,” Asia explained, as we settled ourselves down at the table.

“I know, Vina told me that there’s 4 more del Torres siblings and they’re not here. That’s quite a big family! I really hope I can meet them soon!” Seb replied.

“Yeah, there’s about 19 grandchildren on my dad’s side of the family and even more on my mother’s side since she is one of eight siblings..” I explain to him as I place some chicken adobo on my plate.

“What was it like growing up as an only child, Sebastian?” my mother, Maria, asked curiously.

“Mom, isn’t that a little personal?” I quipped.

“No, it’s fine! I imagine the concept of being an only child is a little strange- especially if you come from a big family,” Sebastian replied earnestly. “Growing up, I did wish that I had a brother or sister to play with, but in hindsight, I wouldn’t change my childhood because it made me who I am today.”

“Would you like to have kids?” my father asked him, continuing the family interrogation, though not quite as serious.

“Oh my god, dad please!!” I exclaim, my cheeks blushing.

“Oh come on, Vi, it’s just a simple question!” my dad added, looking expectantly at Sebastian. “I’m just curious about how soon I should expect grandkids, I’m too young to be a Lolo, I’m only 51!”

“It’s a perfectly valid question and concern, Mateo,” Seb replies looking at my dad. “I would definitely love to have kids in the future, but only if my future wife wants them too!”

“Oooh good answer!!” my mother and aunts cheer, making the whole table laugh and me blush furiously. Thankfully, the rest of the dinner conversation shifted to the happenings of my brothers and cousins. Throughout the meal, I couldn’t help but admire Sebastian’s genuine interest in my family, as he listened intently as Vince, Victor, and Asia recall their experiences in college. Seb was especially curious to hear about Geo’s interest in film production and even offered to look at his short film for his senior project.

“Just email the final cut to me when you finish,” Sebastian said to Geo as he finished the last remnants of food on his plate. “I’m really interested to see what you have been working on!”

“Wow! Okay, this is amazing!!” Geo exclaimed excitedly. “Thank you so much, Seb!”

“No problem Geo!” Seb smiled back.

 

The parents retired to the family room to relax and Skype with the rest of the siblings abroad, while the kids remained in the kitchen to clean up. Sebastian and I went back to my room and got ready for bed. Even though it was only about 9pm, the past few days and the drive both wore us out. The bedroom we were in had a small patio that faced the backyard and it’s own small bathroom. I went out to the patio desk to work on my research while Seb was in the bathroom freshening up. Deep into my work, I felt a pair of soft, strong arms wrap around my neck.

“Wow, such a beautiful view!” Seb murmured.

“I know, this is my favorite spot to watch the full moon..” I said as I continued typing on my laptop.

“The moon’s nice too!” Seb smirked as he tickled my sides. “It’s getting late, let’s get to bed Vi…”

“Mhmmm,” I replied, Seb’s lips raining soft kisses from my right shoulder to the side of my neck. “I guess, work can wait until tomorrow.”

“That’s my girl!” he smiled as he saved my work and turned off my laptop. He then grabbed my hand and led us to the soft inviting bed. We got into a comfortable position, with Seb lying on his back as I layed on my side, my head resting on his Rutgers t-shirt clad chest.

“Magandang gabi, sweets!” Seb sighed into my hair.

“Nice accent!” I smiled, turning my head to face him.

“Why thank you, your mom taught me earlier during dinner!” my boyfriend said proudly.

“Buenas noches, mahal!” I sweetly replied, placing a kiss to his chest. We both fell fast asleep not too long after. The next 3 days would be pretty eventful because Thanksgiving in my family is pure fun and chaos at the same time.

 

_November 23, 2017 (Thanksgiving Day)_

Yesterday was a very busy day because we were out and about, getting the last minute ingredients for Thanksgiving dinner. The cafe was packed because many customers came in to pick up their pie and pastry orders before we closed for the week. Once all the errands had been made, we all returned back to the house to prepare the desserts and some of the side dishes. After a quick dinner of the leftovers from the night before, everyone went to their rooms and fell fast asleep by 8pm.

 

One of the longest standing Thanksgiving traditions of the del Torres family is to participate in the annual Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning. This race is special because it marks the start of my dad’s journey in running. The Turkey Trot was the first race he ran and ever since, he has been hooked on the running bug. This inspired me and my brothers to pursue running in high school. As we honed our running abilities, we have made it a competition to see who can finish this 5K race the fastest. To make the race fair, the guys and the girls are separated into teams and the team that has the fastest average overall time wins. The losing team has the pleasure of washing the Thanksgiving dishes and the winning team has first pick at the dessert table.This year, the guys team consists of my dad, Vince, Victor, Tito John, and Sebastian. I am on the girls team with my mom, Tita Lydia, and Asia. The rest of the family spectates along the course and cheers us on, adding to the friendly competitive atmosphere.

 

“You better be ready Seb,” I taunted him, as we drove into the course parking lot. “My brothers will hate you if they have to do the dishes again this year!”

“Wait, really?!” Seb exclaimed, looking at me with his face wrinkled in worry.

“Haha nope, I’m just messing with you!” I assure him as we get out of the car and walk to the starting line. “Hate, is a strong word. They won’t like you for like 5 minutes but you can always bribe them with Marvel movie secrets!”

“Hmm, I’ll keep that in mind!” He says as he walks over to my dad, uncle and brothers. “May the best team win! See you at the finish line!”

“See you at the finish line! I’m looking forward to having first dibs on desserts!” I winked at them, causing my team to cheer and our spectators to laugh.

“We’ll be watching and taking pictures!” my Tito Jun added.

“Good luck mama!” Naia and Imyna said to their mom, causing their dad to feign heartbreak. “Run happy, papa!”

“Boys, don’t _even_ think about cutting the course!” my mom joked, pointing accusingly at Vince and Victor.

And the countdown started, with starting gun went off, and we all ran. The guys started off pretty fast compared to us ladies and our conservative pace. Both teams were pack running, motivating each other to stay calm and focus on the desserts. Halfway in the race, the guys team started to falter, Tito John and Seb falling about twenty feet behind my dad and brothers. My team was still running together but by the time we reached mile two, I could sense the tiredness around us.

“Vi, go ahead and finish the race,” my mom panted, her pace slowing down.

“Yes, I agree! Go for it!” Tita Lydia added as she stopped to walk. “I’m getting a leg cramp!”

“If you go now, you might even place first in your age bracket!” Asia smiled, as she kept up with my mom.

“Alright! I’ll see ya!” I said, waving to them and speeding off to finish the rest of the race. Not to brag, but I still got it. I ran pain free and was on an endorphin high. This allowed me to pass up the guys team and finish the race strong. I did end up placing first in my age group and won a medal for it. My mom, Tita Lydia, and Asia finished the race together, but the guys were able to snag the win from us ladies since they pulled through and finished the race closer together.  At the finish line, we reunited with the rest of the family, ate the recovery snacks, and took silly pictures to commemorate the run.

 

With the Turkey Trot done, all that awaited us once we got home was the food. Thanksgiving dinner at the del Torres house is not your typical American style Thanksgiving dinner. Sure, we did have turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and cranberry sauce, but we also made Italian risotto, Spanish paella, pancit, lumpia (fresh and fried), quinoa salad, chicken adobo, and spam musubi. The desserts table just as abundant with pumpkin, pecan, and apple pie, blueberry empanadas, chocolate velvet cake, and traditional Filipino desserts like _suman_ and _ginataan_. While most of the dinner was already prepared, Asia and I are helping our mothers and aunt with the desserts. The pies and empanadas are baking in the oven and the women are preparing the Filipino desserts while Asia and I are decorating the cake while the guys are currently playing tennis in the backyard. Sebastian entered the kitchen for a glass of water but was distracted by the sweet aroma of the pies.

“Those pies smell amazing!” Sebastian said as he took a deep breath. “What are you making there Vi?”

“Oh I’m wrapping _suman_ ,” I explained to him. “It’s a traditional Filipino dessert of rice cake wrapped in banana leaves.”

“Sounds delicious!” he praised, walking over to the stove where Asia was stirring the pot of _ginataan_. “What do you have in that pot, Asia?”

“ _Ginataan_!” Asia smiled as she kept stirring the sweet soup. “It’s a dessert soup of tapioca pearls, mochi balls, plantain, and coconut milk!”

“Oh my, I _need_ to try everything!” Sebastian declared “But there is _so much_ food!”

“Hah, why do you think we do the Turkey Trot every year?!” my brother Victor quipped as he entered the kitchen with the rest of the guys.

“So we don’t feel completely terrible about eating all this food!” Vince added.

“Ahh I see, it makes sense now!” laughed Sebastian.

 

Once all the food was done and everyone freshened up, we settled ourselves into the dining room kitchen, ready to partake in the feast. After a prayer from Tito Jun, we also have this tradition of saying what we’re thankful for and what we _hope_ to be thankful for in the future. My family use the latter as a way of announcing future plans in travel, work, and school (or just life in general). The common theme of course was being thankful spending time with family. The next bit of each person’s tiny speech was different.

“I hope to be thankful for studying abroad in Italy next fall semester!” my brother Victor announced excitedly.

“I really hope to be thankful for having a successful audition with Disney this spring!” Asia exclaimed, causing shock among us because this is the first time we heard.

“I hope to be thankful for Sebastian liking my senior project!” Geo said, making the whole table laugh.

“I hope to be thankful for interviewing for MIT’s masters program!” my brother Vince smiled.

“I hope to be thankful for being joining you all next year and eating this delicious food!” Sebastian smiled, looking at me “But really, I hope to be thankful for being with this wonderful lady and being employed!”

“Nakkkss, good answer!” my mother and aunts cheered.

“Oh my goodness,” I sighed in embarrassment, feeling the warmth in my cheeks. “I hope to be thankful for running a marathon, traveling more, and maybe moving to another city..”

“WHAT? You’re moving?!” my parents exclaimed in unison.

“Finally!” Tita Lydia cheered. Ever since I was in college, she has always encouraged me to move out of California to experience what the world has to offer. 

“Relax you guys,” I assured them “I said _maybe_!”

“Where were you thinking of moving to? And when?” my boyfriend asked curiously.

“Well, I’m currently looking into moving to the East Coast since there are more opportunities to practice and research orthopedic physical therapy there,” I explained. “I might be leaving when I complete my orthopedic residency at the end of April.”

“Well, keep us updated anak!” my mother said.

“Don’t worry I will!” I said as I finished, signalling my nine year old cousin, Imyna to say what she is thankful for.

“I hope to be thankful for being in my school play and for being a big sister!” Imyna innocently said, silencing the table in shock for a quick second and then roars of questions and laughter ensued.

“Oh my god! You’re pregnant?!” my father said to his youngest sister, Lydia.

“How far along are you?!” my mom and my Tita Ela asked.

“So this is why you didn’t drink that glass of wine..” Tito Jun smiled.

“Imyna, you were supposed to wait until _after_ dinner!” Naia scolded her little sister.

“But you just ran this morning!” Asia and I exclaimed.

“What are you having?” Vince, Victor, and Geo asked.

“Congratulations!” Sebastian smiled genuinely.

“Thank you Sebastian!” Tita Lydia smiled, taking Tito John's hand in hers. “Yes, I’m pregnant! I’m about 8 weeks along. Doctor gave me the okay to keep running as long as I don’t go fast or too long! And that’s okay Naia, your uncles would have noticed something during dinner!”

“Wow, tonight is really a night for big announcements!” I noted, causing everyone to nod in agreement.

And with that, we tucked in to our abundant Thanksgiving feast. The table was silent for a good 20 minutes because we were so engrossed in the food. The saying “if the table is quiet, then you know that food is good” definitely rang true as we were eating. After seconds and thirds, the boys got their first dibs on desserts and settled into the family room while us girls cleaned up the table.

“ _This one of the best Thanksgivings I’ve had”_ I thought to myself as I sat down next to my boyfriend on the couch, who curled his arm around my shoulder, with his blue eyes looking intently at me.

“Hi!” he flirted with me, as if we were meeting for the first time.

“Hi!” I laughed. “Having fun?”

“I’m having a blast!” Seb replied, eating the suman. “Although I can’t seem to _stop_ eating..”

“Same here!” I agreed, munching on my bowl of sweet ginataan. About half an hour later, the rhythm of filipino dance music filled the room as my brothers moved the table aside to set up a dancefloor. “Oh no, looks like the dance party is starting early this year!”

“Oooh, dance party?!” Seb asked, his leg jigging up and down as if it was itching to dance.

“Yeah, so whenever the family gets together, we all dance the Manila Swing,” I explained. “It’s a more upbeat version of the salsa and cha cha. It’s easy to learn and super fun to dance! I can teach you if you want!”

“YES! Teach me!” my boyfriend chimed, setting our plates down and grabbing my hand leading me to the makeshift dance floor.

“Okay, so you wanna start with a skip-2-3,” I explained, showing Sebastian.

“Like this?” he asked, copying me.

“Yes! Exactly! We can move in all directions too, just feel the beat!” I smiled, as we danced along with my parents, aunts and uncles. Looking at how they were dancing, Sebastian mimicked what they were doing, twirling me and spinning me around.

“Woohoo, go Seb!” Asia laughed, causing Naia and Imyna to cheer.

“This is gold! Bucky doing the Manila Swing!” Victor laughed as he had his phone out to capture the moment.

“You have to send me the video Vic!” Seb exclaimed, his steps following the increasing beat. He kept his twinkling eyes locked on mine as he expertly spun me around. I was so in the moment that I didn’t realize we had continued dancing even after the music had stopped and we were the only ones dancing.

“Wow! You guys didn’t tell me you were pros!” Geo exclaimed, as he watched what Victor had recorded.

“Huh, we actually look decent!” I said as I watched the video.

“We do look like we know what we’re doing,” Seb added “Hey Victor, don’t forget to send this to me!”

“I already did!” Victor responded.

 

All the running, food, and dancing had really tired us out. Well, the adults were super tired and the kids not so much. Vince and Victor had taken all of the cousins out to the movie theater and the parents stayed back at the house sleep early. Sebastian and I had gathered our blanket and lounged on the backyard gazebo to take in the starry night.

“A penny for your thoughts?” Sebastian asked as he settled his head on my left shoulder.

“I’m ready to go public as a couple,” I said thoughtfully, causing Seb to lift his head, so he faced me. “These past few days have been a dream and my family adores you! It just makes sense!”

“Aww Vina! Today has been truly fun and I’m glad to have gotten to spend it with you and your family!” Seb professed kindly. “How do you want to announce us? Should I call Eric and have him send out a statement or should we do it ourselves?”

“Definitely ourselves! We can post on Instagram since that’s the only social media we are active on.” I replied, looking through my phone to for a picture to post.

“Ok, don’t show me until after you have posted it!” Seb said as he looked through his phone. Not too long after, I refreshed my feed and found that he had posted a video of us dancing earlier. The video’s caption was “@VTheDPT is a wonderful dance partner, I’m very thankful and grateful!” I posted a picture of us jumping at the finish line of the Turkey Trot, with the caption “What a happy Thanksgiving, indeed!”

“Oh my god, do you realize what you’ve done by posting that video?” I turned to look at my boyfriend. “You’re gonna break the internet!”

“Hah, it’s what I do best, apparently,” Seb responded non chalantly. “and besides, _is_ there a better way to announce our relationship? A dancing video _and_ a funny picture is very us!”

“Too true, Mr. Stan. Too true!” I quipped. “I’m still keeping my personal profile private though, I don’t have time to deal with the trolling comments..”

“A very wise decision!” Sebastian agreed, as he pulled me up from my chair. “Let’s go to bed, I’m exhausted!”

“Okay, Vince has the key anyway,” I said as we walked back to the house. “We don’t need to wait up for them!”

We went upstairs, put on our pajamas, and settled ourselves on my bed. I was laying on my side, with Sebastian snuggled up close behind me.

“I love you, Vina” my boyfriend whispered softly in my ear, his soft plush lips placing a kiss on the base of my neck.

“Te iubesc, Sebastian,” I murmured back, falling asleep to his soft snores.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Link for what the Manila Swing looks like:  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdXlPOAQKf4
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Comments and kudos are greatly appreciated! xo


	10. Twenty Five, Frida, and the Holidays

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sebastian and Vina's relationship thrives during the month of December!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:  
> "În curând mama , în curând"="Soon mom, soon!"  
> "domniţă"="sweetheart"

 

_December 1, 2017_

**_~Sebastian’s POV~_ **

It’s official. The production of the first installment of Avengers 3: Infinity War has wrapped and I could not be more relieved. Don’t get me wrong, this 4 month shoot in Atlanta was incredibly fun but also very exhausting and took a lot out of me physically. Now that shooting has ended, I am taking 6 months off until we start production for the second installment in June. This 6 month hiatus is very much needed because I have been working nonstop since the press tour for Black Panther release last December. I no longer have to follow the strict diet but I also can’t let myself fall completely off the fitness wagon. What I am most looking forward to when I go back to my SoHo apartment, aside from being home, is stopping by different gyms to workout and catch up with friends. I also look forward to running in Central Park again, nothing beats the feeling of running outside. Running is also something Vina and I have in common, we would both take running outside over treadmill running any day.

 

In other news, I _did_ manage to ‘break the internet’ with my Thanksgiving post of Vina and I dancing. It caused quite a commotion in the days following the holiday, causing shock and awe in both fans, close friends, and even my family. Some notable fan comments include: “Damn, is there anything Bucky _can’t_ do?!” and “Sebastian and Vina are #RelationshipGoals!”. My phone also blew up from texts from my castmates and friends:

 **_Chris Evans:_ ** _Nicole just showed me your post, I didn’t know you can dance like that!_

 **_Me:_ ** _Neither did, tbh!_

 **_Mack Attack:_ ** _Damn sonnn, teach me your ways!!_

 **_Me:_ ** _Maybe, if you move your seat up._

 **_RDJ:_ ** _My wife just claimed you as best dancing Avenger… not acceptable. Vina HAS to visit the set now to teach me!_

 **_Me:_ ** _Hah that’s completely up to Vina!_

 **_Zoe Saldana:_ ** _Nice moves, we gotta battle it out one of these days: me and Marco vs you and Vina! :p_

 **_Me:_ ** _Name the time and place and we’ll be there!_

 **_Chace Crawford:_ ** _So this is the mystery woman.. When are you bringing her to the City? The whole crew is dying to meet her!_

 **_Me:_ ** _You might see her at your New Year’s Eve party, we’ll see!!_

 

My mother, Clara, even saw the post and had to call me to confirm the news of my updated relationship status.

_“Sebastian, who is this lovely woman you’re dancing with?” she asked curiously._

_“_ _Mama e prietena mea, Vina!” I said in my native Romanian tongue, explaining that Vina is my girlfriend._

_“Arăți foarte fericit . Când voi ajunge să o cunosc?” she replied back, noting my happy demeanor in the video and asking when she gets to meet my girlfriend._

_“În curând mama , în curând!*” I promised her. “I have to go, talk to you later! Te iubesc!”_

Both my manager, Emily, and my agent, Eric had positive reactions to mine and Vina’s announcements. Eric was even a little impressed (although he wouldn’t admit it) at Vina’s decision to keep her Instagram profile private, because to him it showed that she genuinely did not want the spotlight _and_ he would have less to worry about. Ultimately, our announcement could not have gone any better!

 

Vina’s 25th birthday is tomorrow and I am throwing her a surprise bowling party at Lucky Strike in Los Angeles. I never told Vina that production ended the day before her birthday to keep the element of surprise. I have been planning this party all week, with the help of Chris and Nicole. I booked out the bowling alley on Vi’s birthday night, Chris invited the kickball teams from my surprise party, and Nicole invited her and Vina’s close friends from grad school. Nicole also managed to get Vina’s cousin, who is a DJ in LA to come to the party as well. This party is going to be a blast and my castmates were excited to say the least! During the last few days of the shoot, a lot of smack talk was going on between the males and females.

_“You better be ready Scarlett, the men gonna whoop some serious ass during Vina’s party!” Anthony taunted cockily._

_“Oooh you just had to say that, right when we’re filming the scene in which I kick your ass!” Scarlett replied, shaking her head._

_“Cállate Mackie! The only ass you’re gonna whoop is your own when you fall on the bowling lane!” Zoe joked, causing awed hollers from everyone on set._

_“We’ll see, Gamora, we’ll see!” Chris Pratt added “Although, we better bring our A-game guys, Anna can bowl! She’s very excited by the way Seb, thanks for inviting us!”_

_“Haha, no problem Bert Macklin!” I laughed, getting ready for the next take._

 

Vina had no knowledge of my party plans because she thought that production would go on until the beginning of January. She had already accepted the fact that I would not be in LA to celebrate her 25th birthday and planned to have small birthday dinner out with Nicole and their grad school friends. It’s about 5pm and I’m currently back in my trailer, packing up my things until my phone rang, with my girlfriend’s silly face lighting my phone screen. I excitedly picked up the Skype call and was greeted by a sweaty Vina.

“Hi Sebastian!” she panted, smiling.

“Hola sweets!” I smiled back, appreciating her running outfit “Have a good run?”

“I sure did, now that I have a new running partner!” she responded, as a black greyhound dog ran up beside her. “This is Frida! Frida say hi!”

“Oh my she’s beautiful!” I said after Frida greeted me with a bark, admiring her sleek black coat and noticing the white stripe that ran down the middle of her body. “When did you adopt her?”

“Two days ago,” my girlfriend explained excitedly “I was visiting my former professor, she has an animal rescue that takes in the retired racing greyhounds. She had Frida at her place and we immediately bonded! I couldn’t leave her sweet face and my gut said to just go for it!”

“Amazing! I’m glad you have a running partner!” I said as I grabbed my things and headed out of my trailer. “Vina, I’m heading out! Happy early birthday baby, I’ll call you tomorrow morning! I love you!”

“Thanks Sebastian, I love you too!” she smiled as she blew me a kiss and hung up. “Man she has no idea what’s in store for her tomorrow!” I thought to myself as I made my way to the airport to catch my red eye flight back to California.

 

_December 2, 2017 (Vina’s 25th birthday)_

I’m back in Los Angeles with Chris, Anthony, and Chadwick at Chris’s beach house. It’s about 2pm and Vina has no idea that we’re here; she still thinks we’re in Atlanta filming. The guys and I are lounging out on the patio deck, enjoying the cool ocean breeze. As I was about to doze off, my phone buzzed, signalling a text from Nicole.

 **_Nicole, 2:06 p.m:_ ** _Vi and I are at the spa with some friends. We’re gonna take her out for birthday drinks and we’ll have her ready by 6!_

 **_Sebastian, 2:08 p.m:_ ** _Thanks for the update! Please don’t get her drunk, I want her to remember her party!!_

 **_Nicole, 2:09 p.m:_ ** _Like would get her drunk!! We’ll meet you guys at 6:30!_

 **_Sebastian, 2:10 p.m:_ ** _Kidding! See you in a couple hours!_

 

_About 4 hours later_

Everyone is at Lucky Strike bowling alley waiting for Vina, Nicole, and their friends to come and get the party started. Because I was able to rent out the place for tonight, the atmosphere was even more relaxed and casual. Nicole came in clutch by inviting Vina’s DJ cousin; his setlist was on fire, playing throwback 80s-00s hits as well as current songs that I haven’t heard yet. In attendance was Mark, RDJ, Chris Pratt, Anthony, and their wives, Chadwick, Renner, Scarlett, Zoe and their husbands, and Emily VanCamp. We were all in the midst of talking about our holiday plans when Chris’s phone rang signalling a call from his girlfriend Nicole.

“They’re on their way! Their Uber just dropped them off!” Chris said after he hung up his phone.

“Get ready! Yell surprise when I turn on the lights!” I added, making my way up to the bowling alley entrance.

 

From where I was standing, I could see Vina and Nicole walking down the sidewalk with two of their girlfriends. Vina looked absolutely radiant: because of the ‘cool’ 60 degree weather, she was wearing a black leather jacket with a grey sweater, and black skinny jeans. Her neck was adorned with a plaid scarf, her long hair done in waves, and her legs highlighted by the grey, suede over the knee boots. Although I do appreciate a woman in heels, Vina’s grey boots surpassed that level of appreciation in my eyes _and_ those boots were flat! My playful gaze over my girlfriend was interrupted when the girls stopped in front of the entrance, with Vina looking genuinely confused.

“Hey Nicole, I don’t think the bowling alley is open today.. The lights are off!” I heard Vina say to her best friend.

“Don’t worry about it!” Nicole waved her off, opening the door for her and motioning Vina to enter.

“Hmm, that’s weird. Why did they keep the entrance unlock-” my girlfriend thought aloud, her voice stopped when I turned on the lights.

“SURPRISE!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY VINA!!” I shouted happily along with everyone in the bowling alley, laughing at my girlfriend’s gobsmacked reaction.

“AHHH! I thought you guys were still filming?!” Vina shouted back, running towards me and giving me a bear hug.

“We wrapped yesterday!” I smiled, returning her hug and placing a kiss on her forehead.

“And we had to have a rematch from Seb’s party!” Anthony added, giving Vina a hug. “Happy Birthday Vina!”

“Happy Birthday Vi!” Chris smiled, joining their hug with outstretched arms.

 

While everyone greeted Vina a happy birthday, I went up to the front desk to get our lanes ready and our teams sorted. The teams are exactly the same as my party, guys versus girls. I set it up so we would be playing in competition mode for 3 games; the winning team had to win 2 out of the 3 games. The first game went by fast, us guys won by 50 points.

“Oooh looks like we know who’s the better team when it comes to bowling!” Chris Pratt smirked at his wife Anna.

“Oh honey, that was just a warm up round! I didn’t even use my ball yet!” Anna clapped back, taking out her neon green bowling ball from her bowling bag.

“Damn Pratt, you weren’t kidding when you said Anna was a bowler!” Renner said in awe.

The ladies came back and evened the score board by winning the second game. I gotta admit though, the drinks were starting to affect my team’s ability to play- Chris had good form, but his aim was terrible. This cannot be said for the ladies team, it’s as if a switch went off in their minds. They bowled four strikes in a row and had spares after that. They lead us by 25 points after the second game, intensifying the air by the time the third and final game came around. Both teams brought their game and talk on. During the third game, Mackie started a dare chain by daring his wife to bowl the ball with her non-dominant hand. She only agreed on the condition that he bowled the ball with his eyes closed. After witnessing the hilarity that resulted in their crazy dares, everyone followed. At this point, we didn’t care about the score because we were more invested to see who came up with the best dare. Vina and I happened to be the last people on our teams to bowl.

“I dare you to bowl the ball as if you were doing a strip tease!” my girlfriend laughed, causing everyone to howl with laughter.

“Hahaha good one Vina!” Zoe and Scarlett laughed, throwing their heads back.

“Now this is something I _haven’t_ seen Sexy Seabass do!” Mackie smirked, earning a playful smack on the shoulder from his wife.

“You’ve seen him do _other_ things?!” Sheletta asked, half-jokingly to her husband.

“What goes on in Marvel, stays in Marvel!” Mackie replied, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

“Nuh-uh, I don’t even want to know!” Sheletta responded, feigning disgust.

“I’ll do it only if you bowl the ball like Tom Haverford in Parks and Rec _and_ you have to bowl the ball in between your whole team’s legs!” I said, locking eyes with Vina.

“Easy peasy!” Vina said smugly “You’re going first though!”

As I sauntered my way over to the bowling rack, Vina’s DJ cousin Joe, played Ginuwine’s song, Pony, as if he was on que. This caused the girls team and my team to holler rowdily at me.

“Ayyye good choice Vi!” Zoe and Emily laughed in unison.

“Damn Seb, she got you!” RDJ added, wrapping his arm around his wife “You _have_ to do it now!”

“It’s like Magic Mike up in here, Bucky Edition!” both Chrises guffawed, gaining high fives from my whole team.

“I hope y’all got some dollar bills ready!!” Chadwick joked, clutching his chest because he was laughing so hard.

“Let’s go babe, it’s your turn!” my girlfriend winked at me, boosting my confidence.

“Fuck it, it’s her birthday and what my lady wants, she gets!” I thought to myself as I looked back at them and gave Vina my best smoulder. Before I got my bowling ball, I dramatically stripped off my black leather jacket in one fluid motion and threw it at my audience, which was caught by Mack Attack. I grabbed by ball, and strut my hips to the sexy rhythm of the song and released the ball. I didn’t even stop to watch my ball hit the pins, instead I walked smoothly to where Vina was sitting and gave her a small preview of what lapdance would look like if I gave her one. This caused her to blush profusely and that caused my ego to soar.

“Happy Birthday, dragă!” I whispered in her ear before I got off her lap. Vina didn’t even say anything, she was still in shock that I played along with her request.

“Holy hell! That was hot- why can’t you do that for my birthday?!” Sunny Ruffalo asked her husband Mark, causing the mood to lighten up.

“Because I _can’t_ move like he does!” Mark exclaimed “Believe me if I could, I’d do it everyday!”

“Please stop! I know have an image of the Hulk trying to striptease and I can’t get it out of my head!” Chris Pratt joked.

Vina had her team line up on the lane and she bowled that ball with such finesse that Tom Haverford would be proud! The ladies ended up winning the game because Vina’s last shot was a strike, despite the crazy way she bowled it.

 

Vina’s birthday celebration continued when I surprised her with a cake sent over her family’s cafe in Palo Alto and a Skype call from her family so they could join us. We sang joyously and wished Vina a very happy birthday. By the time it was 10pm, we cleared out from Lucky Strike, said our goodbyes drove back to Vina’s apartment. Nicole went back with Chris so Vina and I had the apartment to ourselves. As soon as we got back to her apartment, we both changed into our sweats and lounged in her room, with Frida sleeping at the foot of the bed.

“Thank you for surprising me Seb!” my girlfriend said as she rested her head on my chest. “And for getting my family in on the party!”

“No problem! I wanted to do something special for you, you deserve it!” I replied, softly tipping her chin up so she was looking up at me.

“I can’t believe you actually did that dare!” Vina beamed, as she moved her body and straddled my hips. “That was so sexy, I’m not gonna lie!”

“Oh yeah?” I smirked, as my hands softly trailed on her thighs and playing with the waistband of her sweats.

“Very much so,” Vina murmured burying her face in my neck, her mouth nipping my earlobe “It was so hard to stop my jaw from dropping when I saw you move your hips like that!”

“You are such a tease!” I growled, grabbing her hips and turning us over so that I was on top. I felt Vina’s body tense up and a wave of guilt washed over me. “Shit, sorry Vi. Did I take it too far?”

“No, it’s okay Sebastian,” Vina smiled, looking into my eyes and cupping my scruffy cheek. “I was the one that climbed on you!”

“True,” I let out a content sigh as her soft lips trailed kisses down my neck. “Just so I know, what are you comfortable with?”

“Hmm,” my adorable, yet sexy girlfriend thought aloud “I’m okay with second base..”

“That’s hands right?” I asked, causing her to chuckle. “Hey I’m Romanian after all!”

“I know, you’re just being so cute!” she smiled as her nose came down to touch my nose for an eskimo kiss. Just as I was about to place my hands underneath her shirt, Frida jumped on the bed startling the both us us momentarily.

“Oh Frida, it’s okay sweetie!” Vina cooed, running her hand through her dog’s smooth coat. “She gets pretty jumpy at night and it soothes her to sleep next to me.. Do you mind if Frida sleeps on the bed?”

“Hmm, I don’t mind,” I said stroking Frida’s head “but can you be in the middle? That way we both get your attention!”

“Haha of course! You’re such a dork! I love you!” Vina smiled as she settled herself beside me.

“And I love you,” I sighed sleepily.

 

_Middle of December 2017_

**_~Vina’s POV~_ **

This month has been very special to me: I adopted my first dog and I turned twenty five! Sebastian managed to sneak a surprise party past me and it was a success. I was able to celebrate with my friends from grad school, the some of the Avengers 3 cast, and my family. I honestly feel very blessed to have wonderful friends and I could not feel more grateful.

 

Sebastian, Frida and I are currently at a small cabin at Big Bear Lake, which is about 2 hours away from LA. As a Christmas present, Cathy lent me her quaint lakeside cabin. When I found out that Sebastian would be in LA for a week before he flew back to New York, I invited him to join me at the cabin for the weekend. He, of course, happily agreed stating that he had yet to experience snow in California. We arrived yesterday morning and the abundance of snow did not disappoint; we were able to go snowboarding. Well, I was able to snowboard and Seb did his best to _try_ to snowboard. I gotta tell you, seeing Sebastian falling on his butt multiple times was hilarious but he fell so many times that he had to stop because his falls tired him out. Instead, he spent time with Frida, who was bundled in a dog jacket and booties, and went on a small hike while I enjoyed the powdered slopes for a couple more hours.

 

Another interesting milestone in our relationship happened yesterday. Seb and I saw each other naked for the first time and showered together. To be fair though, it wasn’t at all sexual, at least I didn’t feel that way, because we were both trying to get the most out of the hot water. I mean, I was totally admiring Sebastian’s cut body (his training had moulded his body to that of a Greek god, so hot!) but we really had to make the most of our short shower.

_“Oh yeah, Seb I should probably tell you that there’s a time limit to how long we can use the shower..” I said as we walked hurriedly back into the small, snow covered cabin._

_“Really? How long do we have?” my boyfriend asked, shedding off his snow jacket and placing wood in the fireplace._

_“So Cathy said two and a half minutes per person a day OR five minutes for two people..” I mumbled, curious to see his reaction._

_“Well, I think 5 minutes is the way to go honestly,” Seb said thoughtfully “But I’m also okay with the two and a half minutes..”_

_“I’m leaning more towards 5 minutes,” I replied, completing his train  of thought. “That way I have more time, we save water, AND the hot water is guaranteed for us both!” We both made our way to the bathroom and stripped quickly as we waited for the water to warm up. There was definitely some palpable tension in the air. As I was undressing myself, I could feel Sebastian’s eyes wander up and down my body. I did the same with him too._

_“You’re beautiful, Vina,” Sebastian sighed appreciatively as we both entered the hot shower. “I mean it, you’re goddess!”_

_“You don’t think my breasts are too small and my butt is too big?” I asked, cupping my 34B breasts and confessing my slight body insecurities._

_“What?! Not at all- you’re perfect to me! The size of your boobs and butt allows you to run as fast as you do. Your legs are my weakness by the way!” Sebastian proudly proclaimed._

_“Oh my goodness, you really know how to seduce a woman! Thank you my love,” I blushed as I leaned my head back so the water ran over my long hair. “You’re gorgeous!” causing him to blush and hide his slight embarrassment._

_“Thank you sweets!” Seb replied running his hands over my right hip, his finger tracing the faint scar there. “What’s this scar from?”_

_“Oh that,” I said as I quickly shampooed my hair “I was on a night run with my dad my junior year in high school and I tripped over a sidewalk bump. I have scars on my knees and elbows to prove it!”_

_“Ouch!” Seb said as we switched places, allowing me to rinse my hair “How are you able to surf and snowboard when you’re so clumsy?!”_

_“Hah, I honestly have no idea!” I said as we both ran some over each other’s bodies. “The world works in mysterious ways!”_

_“I guess it does!” Seb said as he rinsed his body under the hot water._

It’s early afternoon and we are getting ready to go back to LA so that Sebastian can make his red eye flight back to New York. This weekend marked our first weekend together and it was perfect! Aside from snowboarding and going on small hikes, Sebastian and I were able to enjoy each other’s company. As I led Frida into the backseat of the rental SUV, Seb gathered our backpacks and set them in the trunk.

“Do we really have to leave?” Seb asked as sat in the front passenger seat.

“I wanna stay too,” I said as I warmed up and started the car “But Cathy and her husband will be here later tonight!”

We listened to his Daft Punk playlist and talked about our holiday plans as I drove us back to the City of Angels. Sebastian would be spending his Christmas with his family and stepsiblings in upstate New York and I would be spending my Christmas with my family in San Diego since Tito Jun and Tita Ela are hosting this year.

“I can’t believe you’re going surfing for Christmas!!” Sebastian exclaimed when I told him about my plans.

“Me either to be honest, this is the first time we’ll be in San Diego for Christmas!” I responded. “It’s good I have a wetsuit!”

“True, please be safe though!” Sebastian said as he placed his hand on my thigh “but have lots of fun! Is the beach you’re going to dog friendly?”

“Sadly, not- I’ll have to leave Frida back at their house,” I said keeping my eyes on the road “She’ll like that though, they have a backyard she can run around in!”

Not too long after, both Sebastian and Frida zoned out to the calming sound of music, leaving me to enjoy the scenery ahead.

 

_Christmas Day_

Christmas at del Torres household usually consists of plentiful food, Skyping with various family scattered across the globe, and a family outing to the outdoors. In the past, we have mostly gone on day hikes in Northern California but this year is different because it’s the first time we’re surfing together as a family. Traditionally, we do these outings on Christmas Day, but since the waves were a little calmer and safer, we went yesterday afternoon. We went to Black’s Beach and it was amazing since we basically had the beach to ourselves. My mom and aunts had a good time watching us cousins get our surf on. We brought Frida along as well. Turns out the beach we went to _is_ dog friendly after all. Although she enjoyed exploring on the beach, after five minutes of running around, Frida laid near my aunts and became a beach bum. While Victor, Vince, and Geo were fighting on calling dibs on the next wave, my dad and I also taught Naia and Imyna to surf. The girls did well considering their flexibility and balance from years of ballet came in handy. We taught them the basics; how to paddle, sit, and stand on their new surfboards (an early Christmas gift from their parents). I was also able to catch some waves myself but the water was freezing compared to the warm Hawaiian waves that I am used to. “Thank god for this purple wetsuit” I gratefully thought to myself as I walked back to the shore.

 

Since Sebastian and I are on the opposite sides of the coast to celebrate Christmas with our families, we decided to exchange our gifts to each other over Skype. It is about 3 in the afternoon and my family had already opened presents this morning. The only present left for me to open was the expedited FedEx envelope from Sebastian. This envelope came in yesterday and I had thought that it was work related. Luckily, the return address cleared up my confusion and my mind went into a frenzy, thinking of what Seb had gifted me with. I really hope it isn’t anything too extravagant because my gift to him was a vintage Leica film camera that I my Tito Jun had found in his art studio, so technically I didn’t pay anything for it. I am sitting at the kitchen island counter while the cousins are playing with Frida in the backyard and the parents are watching a movie in the family room. Sebastian and I had agreed to Skype about now and I am waiting for his call. “What could possibly be in this envelope?” I thought to myself. As if on cue, my laptop chimed, with Sebastian video calling on the other end.

“Merry Christmas Sebastian!” I beamed, opening the call.

“Merry Christmas Vina!” Sebastian said, holding up my present to him. “This came in yesterday, did you get yours?”

“Yes, it came in yesterday too!” I replied, holding up the purple envelope to the screen. “We have to open it at the same time, 3 2 1 open!!” I excitedly slit the top portion and saw two documents, with the Philippine Airlines heading at the top. Tears of genuine shock and happiness started forming as soon as I realized that Sebastian had given me two, open ended tickets to fly to the Philippines for two weeks. He also added a card saying “Can’t wait to explore your homeland with you!”

“OH MY GOD, how did you know I wanted this camera?!” Seb exclaimed, admiring his new toy and looking up at the screen to see my tears streaming down my cheeks. “Aww, Vina, why are you crying? Don’t you like my gift?”

“Sebastian, I LOVE your gift!!” I laughed, wiping away my tears.

“Then why the tears, sweets?” Sebastian asked intently.

“This is the nicest thing that anyone has done for me!” I exclaimed “I’m overwhelmed with joy right now!”

“You deserve it, you work so hard!” Seb smiled “Now we actually have a reason to go to the Philippines!”

“You sure are out of this world, Seb,” I added.

“So how did you manage to find this camera? It’s incredibly hard to track down..”

Seb thought aloud.

“Oh, Tito Jun found it in one of the old cabinets in his art studio, since he’s a painter, he didn’t really need it!” I explained. We continued to talk about what we did since he left LA to go back home. I recapped my family’s surfing day and he recalled his stay with his step family. Naturally, the conversation turned to our plans for New Year’s Eve.

“You can come to New York!” Seb excitedly suggested, once I told him about my non-existent NYE plans. “I can show you around my city..”

“That would be nice,” I sighed “but I have to be back at work on the 3rd and I don’t have money in my budget to pay for the ticket, since it’s so last minute and I have student loans to pay back..”

“I’ll pay for your ticket!” Seb responded, as if it was his plan all along. “I’m the one that suggested it!”

“Hmm, I’m still not sure- I don’t have anyone to dogsit Frida..” I said.

“Vince can dogsit,” Seb added, noting my face of confusion “Vince texted me earlier, saying that he wanted to crash at your place for New Year’s Eve.”

“Well, it seems like you have this all worked out Mr.Stan,” I smirked.

“I’m well prepared, what can I say?” he smirked back “But seriously though, come and celebrate New Year’s Eve the right way! Plus my friends are _dying_ to meet you!”

“Oh my goodness!” I smiled bashfully “They know about me?!”

“Oh domniţă, _everyone_ knows about you from my Thanksgiving video!” Seb exclaimed.

“I know, but what I meant was that you talk to your friends about me..” I trailed off.

“Of course I do, you’re super smart, incredibly athletic, and not to mention so beautiful, inside and out!” Sebastian chimed. “I’m so lucky and proud to be your boyfriend!”

“Oh Sebastian,” I smiled wistfully at his kind praise “I’m lucky to be your girlfriend!!”

“So it’s a yes then?!” Seb asked anxiously “You’re coming to New York?!”

“Well, since my boyfriend insists, I guess I am going!!” I declared happily, earning a fist pump from my sexy dork of a boyfriend. Our families were calling out to us and we hung up shortly after. Boy was I excited to spend New Year’s Eve with Sebastian Stan!

_December 31st.._

“We have now arrived at our destination, New York City. Thank for flying with Virgin Airlines!” the plane intercom said aloud, waking me up from my slumber. Sebastian’s agent, Eric, had booked me on a red eye flight from SFO to JFK, since it was the only flight available in a week advance. Nonetheless, I am happy and excited to explore New York with my love. Taking my trusty Patagonia backpack and my black Tumi traveling purse, I exited the gate. When I entered the airport, I saw a man in his mid fifties, holding a placard saying “Vina Torres, DPT” on it.

“Hello Dr. Torres, I’m Balthasar, Sebastian’s driver,” the man said in a slight Spanish accent, as a walked over.

“Hola Balthasar! Dónde está Sebastian?” I asked in Spanish,  clearly impressing him. “Y Por favor me llame Vina!”

“Él está esperando en el coche,” Balthasar smiled as we walked through the airport. “¿Dónde aprendiste a hablar español?”

“Estudié en el extranjero en Madrid, cuando estaba en la universidad!” I said, explaining to him that I studied abroad in Madrid during college. “De donde eres, Balthasar?”

“Soy de Toledo!” Balthasar beamed. “Que está muy cerca de Madrid.”

“Si si. Visité Toledo , es muy hermosa ciudad!” I replied back as we walked over to a black town car parked next to the  airport entrance.

“Muchas gracias, señorita!” Balthasar said as he opened the passenger door, taking my backpack. As soon as I got in the car, I was tackled by Sebastian’s bear hugs.

“Ahh, I can’t believe you’re actually here!” my boyfriend sighed into my neck, his strong arms wrapped around me.

“Believe it!” I smiled back, kissing his smooth cheek, and admiring his new haircut. “You shaved and cut your hair!!”

“I had to! The hair was getting too long, I don’t know how you manage it!” Seb called out, pulling me against his side, wrapping his arm around my shoulder.

“Lots of dry shampoo and patience!” I sighed, snuggling next to him, placing my head on his shoulder.

 

I must have dozed off on the way over to his apartment, because the next thing I remember is Sebastian carrying my backpack as we entered his apartment building. Now, I am lying in a soft, king size bed, adorned with white sheets. The room is softly light, with the sunset filtering through the large windows. As I hopped off the bed, I did my stretches and admired how Sebastian set up his room. There were wooden beams on the ceiling and a wooden wall behind the cushioned headboard. The french doors came guarded his walk-in closet and bathroom. Walking out of his room, I entered a short hallway; to the right was his office and to the left was a bathroom. The hallway opened to a loft, with a staircase leading down to the living room and kitchen. Seb’s apartment was big compared to mine and had a whole lot of open space. As I walked down the stairs, Sebastian looked up from his sitting position on the  couch.

“And sleeping beauty is finally awake!” he smiled, setting his laptop on the coffee table.

“I am so sorry Seb, I slept on the plane” I said as I sat next to him “These few days must have really tired me out!”

“No worries, same thing happened to me when I got back!” he added. “Are you down to get pizza before we go to Chace’s party?”

“Sure! Trying New York pizza is the only thing I forgot to do when I was here six years ago!” I confessed, earning a gasp from my boyfriend.

“Ok, we are definitely making a pizza stop before we head to Chace’s!” Sebastian declared. And with that, we got ready. After I showered and freshened up, I put on my skinny jeans, white v neck blouse, and black sequined blazer. I gathered my hair into a long fishtail ponytail, and put my tortoiseshell framed glasses since I forgot to pack my contacts. To complete the look, I wore my gold pineapple earring studs and wore black flats. Since Sebastian was already in jeans and a black t shirt (yes, the see-through one) had to do was put on his black leather jacket and red sneakers and he was ready to go. Men do have it easy!

 

We walked a couple blocks over to Seb’s favorite pizza place, Gino’s. I have no words to describe their pizza, saying it’s delicious doesn’t even capture its entire essence. As we were eating our slices, I caught Seb gazing at me.

“What’s with the face?” I asked after observing the bustle from our window seats, turning slightly self conscious “Do I have something on my face..?”

“Huh- no, no you don’t have anything on your face,” Sebastian said, flustered his hand brushing over his hair. “Sometimes I have to pinch myself that I lady like you is with a guy like me..”

“What do you mean?” I asked, finishing the last of my slice, curious to hear more about his thought process.

“It’s just that you’re the first person I’ve dated that has a ‘normal’ job since I became an actor,” Sebastian explained thoughtfully “It’s nice to have the stability of hearing about things not in my industry and not having to constantly worry about public perception.”

“I’m glad I can be the stable one in this relationship!” I laughed.

“Yeah, not only that though,” Sebastian continued, as he took my hands in his “You’re also super intimidating and inspiring at the same time!”

“Aww Seb, thanks! I feel the same way about you too!” I replied, leaning in.

“Really?” he smiled shyly, leaning in so that our noses were almost touching.

“Absolutely!” I exclaimed, my nose touching his, giving him an eskimo kiss. We left Gino’s and walked another few blocks to Chace’s penthouse. We took the elevator to the tenth floor and stopped at the doorway.

“Ready to meet my friends?” Sebastian asked, giving me a reassuring look.

“I’m ready as I’ll ever be!” I laughed, grabbing his hand.

 

_Three and a half hours later.._

My nervousness from earlier seemed pointless now. Sebastian introduced me to his friends, a laid back group of actors, writers, and musicians. They seemed at ease with my presence and sincerely interested in what I did for a living and how Sebastian and I met. For a good portion of the party, Sebastian kept me latched by his side, proudly introducing me to everyone. Once he introduced me to his musician friend Simon and his wife Nava, I was in deep conversation with Nava since she is an orthopedic surgeon at NYU’s Rusk Rehabilitation Center. This gave time for Seb to catch up with other party goers.

“It’s nice to finally have someone to talk to that’s in the healthcare profession!” Nava happily admitted “Don’t get me wrong, it’s nice to meet artists but sometimes I just wanna talk about what happened at work without boring people!”

“Oh my gosh, yes!” I exclaimed “Finally someone that understands!”

Nava and I continued to talk about where we grew up and where we went to school. Upon hearing my plans to look into job opportunities on the East Coast, Nava made a suggestion.

“You should move here!” Nava excitedly said “I know for sure that Rusk Rehab is looking to hire more physical therapists!”

“Wow, it’s like it’s meant to be! Rusk Rehab is so competitive to get into..” I smiled back “I’ll definitely look into it!” We talked for about a half hour more about our work and the types of patients she sees. As she was explaining an interesting case of hers, Sebastian’s warm body came up behind mine, his hands resting on my hips.

“Hi!” I smiled, craning my neck to look up at him.

“Hi!” he smiled, his eyes looking intently in mine “We’re heading up to the rooftop for the countdown to see the fireworks!”

“Alrighty! Let me just exchange numbers with Nava!” I replied, inputting my number in her phone. We all gathered on the rooftop, just in time for the final ten second countdown.

10…

Sebastian hugged my in his embrace, keeping me warm in the brisk weather and his vanilla and teakwood scent filling my senses.

“My friends adore you!”

9…

I hugged him back, looking up at him.

“I’m glad you introduced me to them!”

8… 7… 6…

“I love you Vina!” Sebastian professed, tipping my chin up.

5...4...3…

“And I love you, Sebastian!” I smiled, as he brought his face down closer to mine.

2...1…

“HAPPY NEW YEAR!!” we both shouted in unison with everyone on the rooftop. Sebastian lowered his face down to mine, his soft lips finding my lips and giving a kiss as the fireworks exploded in the midnight sky. He placed his hands on the small of my back and I moved my body even closer, on my tip toes, wrapping my arms around his neck, deepening the kiss. I softly nipped his bottom lip and he softly sighed, opening his mouth slightly to allow my tongue to enter. I lost myself into his peppermint breath and skillful tongue; the familiar warmness building in my stomach. We hesitantly pulled away for air, but Sebastian still kept me in his firm embrace, placing his forehead on mine.

“I can’t wait to spend this year with you, Vina!” he softly whispered. And in that exact moment, I truly felt like the luckiest woman alive.

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Visuals for this Chapter:  
> 1st image-> Frida, Vina's 3 y/o greyhound rescue  
> 2nd image-> Vina's 25th birthday party  
> 3rd image-> weekend getaway in Big Bear, CA  
> 4th image-> Vina's Christmas present to Seb (vintage leica camera)  
> 5th image-> Vina's birthday outfit  
> 6th and 7th images-> Seb's SoHo apartment  
> 8th and 9th images-> Vina and Seb's NYE looks (sans heels for Vina- she's wearing black flats lol)  
> So a lot happened, but I hope you enjoyed this chapter! It is currently the longest chapter I've written. My summer class has ended and I now have time to update chapters more often. As usual, comments and kudos are greatly appreciated :)


	11. Their Bi-Coastal Relationship

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's February and Sebastian opens up about his relationship during his friend's podcast. He also flies back to LA to spend Valentine's Day with Vina. This whole chapter is in Sebastian's POV.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Italicized=flashbacks  
> Some major fluff ahead! I felt that I needed to update before I leave for my camping trip this weekend; as always, comments and kudos are certainly welcomed! Thanks for reading, enjoy! xo

 

**Chapter 11-Their Bi-Coastal Relationship**

**_February 2018_ **

**_~Sebastian’s POV~_ **

The new year has been very generous so far: I’ve had the chance to relax at home, without any obligatory events or appearances. Although the atmosphere of doing press junkets is surreal (in a good way), it’s really nice to  _ not  _ be in front of the camera everyone in a while. During my walks around, I’ve been capturing photographs of the city streets and people with my new vintage Leica camera that Vina gave me. Because of this, I have a few found appreciation for directing and can only hope that someday that opportunity will manifest in the future.  

I’ve also gotten to really catch up with some of my close friends, hearing more about their lives and appreciating their company. In fact, I am on my way right now to hang out with one of my closest friends, Will, for his online podcast,  _ The Drop In _ . As soon as I walked off the subway stop, I entered the small bistro and found my Will sitting at a small corner table, with a two steaming cups of coffee. He is so engrossed in his illuminated phone screen that he didn’t notice my presence until I sat down in the chair and cleared my throat obnoxiously.

“Hey Seb!” Will exclaimed, tearing his eyes away from the phone and focused his attention to me. “How’s it going man?”

“Will! Life has been good, no complaints here!” I smiled, taking a sip of my coffee.

“I bet, especially since a special someone has taken your eye!” he replied, acknowledging my lack of being single.

“OH, we’re just jumping  _ right  _ into it today!!” I blurted out, laughing.

“If you don’t mind, of course!” Will added “Chace told me she was quite the talk of the party, is it really true that she is fluent in Spanish?”

“Yes, that’s true. Vi is also fluent in Tagalog, an avid runner, graduated from Stanford and USC, and is an amazing physical therapist!” I beamed proudly.

“Wow, she’s like a unicorn- a woman like that is rare to find..” Will thought aloud “How did you guys meet?”

“Haha that’s  _ one  _ way to put it!” I agreed “Vina and I met when I was filming in LA last summer, I was at the beach playing frisbee with a couple of my friends from college and I saw her running past us with her best friend.”

“So you were mesmerized by her athletic prowess and asked her out right after?” Will naively implied.

“Well, yes seeing her run was definitely a plus!” I acknowledged “But we were formally introduced the next day by our mutual friend, Chris Evans.”

“Ahh I see, so since then it’s been smooth sailing?” Will speculated.

“Hmm, well yes and no,” I explained “We’ve been trying long distance: with her living in LA and me shooting in Atlanta for four months  _ and  _ being based here in New York. It was definitely tough the first couple of weeks we were apart..”

 

**_Flashback to October 2017 (Their first fight)_ **

_ I had missed a Skype call from Vina and forgot to call her back. On this particular day, the only time I could call her was during my lunch time, causing a disrupted flow into her work morning. At the time the shoot was long and I ended up being on set for 17 hours. I insistent on calling her because I was nervous about a particular scene we were shooting that day. Vina, being the kind person that she is had one of her earlier appointments reschedueled to make time for me. I then proceeded to ruin it by not calling in the first place. I had realized my mistake by in the afternoon and immediately called and texted multiple times to apologize. In return, Vina gave me the silent treatment for the whole day.  _

_ “Hi Sebastian” my girlfriend stated plainly when she finally answered my phone call. _

_ “Hi Vina,” I quietly sighed, anticipating a fight brewing. “Are you free to talk?” _

_ “Yes, I’m driving home from the clinic and I’m stuck in traffic,” she bluntly responded. _

_ “I’m so sorry babe, I completely forgot to call you- the shoot ran long..” _

_ “I understand Seb,” Vina sighed “it’s just that a head’s up would have been nice. I didn’t get to see my patient today and I won’t see her for another month because her case has to be approved by her physician again..” _

_ “Again, I am truly sorry for that- I apologized.  _

_ “I know you are, but it really did mess up my schedule today because I was triple booked all morning… it was honestly frustrating,” she ranted. _

_ “Oh babe, that was so not my intention! It’s completely my fault since I’m the one that was persistent in calling you and made you put in unnecessary effort to not see your patient.. It won’t happen again!” _

_ “Aw Seb,” my understanding girlfriend said “You’re forgiven. Now tell me why you were so nervous about today’s shoot..” And just like that, all was forgotten and resolved. _

 

**Return to reality**

“But, the distance has only made our relationship stronger!” I happily revealed. “When I do have time to visit her on a weekend, our dynamic returns where we left off and sometimes I forget that we’re in a long distance relationship.”

“What advice do you have for listeners contemplating giving long distance a try?” Will asked curiously.

“Hah, I’m hardly the expert to give advice,” I scoffed “but what seems to be working is consistent communication.”

“What exactly do you mean by that?” my close friend responded.

“Just talk and listen to each other about your days at work and just life in general,” I explained “whether it be by call, text, FaceTime, or Skype. It’s nice to know what your partner is feeling, that way no negative thoughts or emotions are bottled inside, waiting to explode.”

 

**_Flashback to mid January 2018 (phone conversation)_ **

_ “Hi Seb!” Vina panted into the phone “What’s up?” _

_ “Hi babe, nothing much- just wanted to hear your voice!” I answered “Did you just get back from a run?” _

_ “Nope, I just finished a workout and am about to drive home,” she explained “One of my former patients gifted me with a free month pass to WildCard Boxing Gym as a christmas gift- today was my first day!” _

_ “What?! That’s so cool, I’m actually really jealous right now,” I mused “That’s where Manny Pacquiao trains! How was it?” _

_ “Haha I know, Seb!” my girlfriend responded “It was really awesome, I’m just a little sad I didn’t try boxing earlier, it does wonders in releasing pent up energy..” _

_ “Oh no, you wanna talk about it?” I asked, sensing her negative thoughts brewing from her clipped tone. _

_ “It’s nothing really, work is just super busy with my residency review coming up and tons of results waiting to be analyzed. Not to mention, I have a difficult patient: our personalities clash..” _

_ “Tell me more Vi, just get everything off your mind,” I suggested. I then spent the next hour listening to Vina reveal her frustrations. _

_ “Thanks Sebastian,” Vina sighed “I really needed that!” _

_ “No problem!” I replied. _

_ “I just pulled in, I’m super drained, I’ll talk to you tomorrow?” Vina echoed. _

_ “Yes! Good night, I love you!” I smiled. _

_ “Buenas noches Seb, mahal kita!” she laughed. _

 

“Wow, we’re getting real deep up in here!” Will chuckled, attempting to lighten the mood.

“Hey you asked for it, man!” I smirked, gesturing my hands in the air.

“Okay to make this podcast more interesting, I’m gonna do a quick fire round of questions,” Will exclaimed “You up for this Seb?”

“I’m ready, will these questions be relationship related or just random questions?” I asked, slightly anxious.

“Both- it’ll be a random mix of the two, since Valentine’s Day is coming up!” Will answered.

“Okay, let’s do this!” I replied, rubbing my hands together as if to warm up for his inquisition. 

“What was the first word you thought of when you first saw Vina?”

“Enchanting!” I smiled, remembering the first time I saw her on the beach.

“Do you binge watch together? If so, what show(s)?”

“Yep, definitely- those nights are the best!” I quipped “If we’re not catching up on Game of Thrones, we’re watching Sherlock and Luther!”

“Describe your girlfriend in three words.”

“Vibrant, hilarious, independent,” I gushed.

“What is your biggest pet peeve about her?”

“Geez, Will are you  _ trying  _ to get me in trouble?” I exasperated “Hmm, there’s actually nothing about her that bothers me, she’s sort of perfect that way!”

“Wow, really?  _ Nothing  _ at all?” Will pressed on “she doesn’t take long to get ready, has a messy closet, collects weird stuff...”

“Not at all!” I exclaimed “The only thing that I could think of is her collection of running bibs from her past races, but that’s actually cool! I mean, I  _ would  _ collect those if I ran like she does!”

“Good to know!” Will laughed, shifting the topic “Now you’re both publicly active on Instagram, has that changed the relationship at all?”

 

**_Flashback to Vina’s NYC visit_ **

_ “What’s at the top of your resolution this year?” I asked my girlfriend as we walked around  snowy Central Park with Frida, who was kept warm by her dog coat. _

_ “Definitely to travel more and to not give a damn about what anyone thinks!” Vina responded, smiling up at me. _

_ “So does that mean you’ll make your Instagram public?!” I excitedly asked. I had been lowkey pestering her to make her Instagram public for the past few days because I wanted my fans to get to know her in an authentic way- not from tabloid speculations. While most fans have been positive, some are still skeptical.  _

_ “I guess I have to now!” she reasoned. _

_ “Yes!” I cheered, pumping my fists in the air. _

_ “You are such a dork!” my girlfriend laughed, angling her phone to capture the joyous moment. We found a bench to sit on and I wrapped my arms around her. As soon as Vina was about to take a picture, Frida jumped on our laps, causing my lips to land on Vina’s temple, instead of her cheek. _

_ “Oh, that’s a good picture!” I smiled, admiring the spontaneity of the kodak moment. “There’s your first 2018 post!” _

_ “Too true!” she chimed, captioning the photo. A few seconds later, my phone vibrated in my pocket, notifying me that Vina had tagged me in her post. She captioned the photo “But can you really take California out of the girl? #skeptical”. I immediately like the picture and commented “Hey I’m trying over here!” _

_ “Wow, that’s gonna send the interwebs into a frenzy!” Vina chuckled, looking at my comment. _

_ “I know,” I shrugged, as we walked back to the apartment “Just don’t give a damn, babe!” _

 

“Honestly, not really,” I responded, answering Will’s question. “It’s great because my fans can get to know more about her through pictures, instead of rumors.”

“True, and her feed is visually one of a kind; she documents her travels, work life, and running all into one!” Will added “If National Geographic and Runner’s World had a baby, it would look like Vina’s profile!”

“Wow, that’s perfect!” I pointed out “She’ll be happy to hear that!”

“It’s true!” Will continued “Now going back to the quick fire questions, California or New York?”

“Oh wow, well I have lived in New York for 23 years and it will always have a place in my heart,” I confessed “but California is beginning to grow on me..”

“Did I just hear what I thought I heard?!” Will gasped.

“Chill man, I haven’t chosen yet,” I responded “Northern California is truly captivating. When I had a week off last June, I visited so many places with Vina...”

**_Flashback to June 2017_ **

_ After the del Torres fiesta, Vina was able to tour me around Northern California. She showed me around her alma mater and we went to San Francisco, where we walked across the Golden Gate Bridge, visited the Conservatory of Flowers and Shakespeare’s Garden in Golden Gate Park, and the California Academy of Sciences.  _

_ “Wow, I didn’t realize there was so much to do in Northern California!” I exclaimed, as Vina and I made our way up the stairs, to see the garden on roof of the museum. _

_ “Yep and we didn’t even visit Lake Tahoe, Yosemite, or Napa Valley yet!” Vina replied “This is why I love the northern region so much, everything is relatively close to each other!” _

_ “And I’m so happy that we came here!” I gestured my arms out, admiring the green atmosphere on the roof. “I don’t think I’ve seen so much in one museum visit” _

_ “You probably haven’t,” my girlfriend explained thoughtfully “The Academy of Sciences is the only museum on the planet that has  _ _ an aquarium, a planetarium, a natural history museum, and a 4-story rainforest.” _

_ “Do you see yourself staying in California?” I curiously asked, as we stood side by side admiring the stunning San Francisco skyline. _

_ “Well, I’m definitely open to the idea of moving out of California to experience living somewhere else,” she chimed “but I do see myself settling down and having a family here in San Francisco. Oh crap, sorry I’m ranting again! We don’t have to talk about settling down, we just barely made our relationship exclusive..” _

_ “What?! It’s okay, we are gonna have to talk about it eventually!” I assured her “So you do want kids?” _

_ “Yep! Do you want kids?” my girlfriend asked, looking up at me. _

_ “Yes! Even though I am an only child,” I replied “it would be nice to raise a family!” _

_ “That’s definitely good to know, I feel the same way,” Vina added. “Do you see yourself getting married?” _

_ “If you had asked my younger self that, I probably would have said no because of my experience with my parents separating, I wasn’t really surrounded with great marriage examples growing up..” I deeply explained  _

_ “But how do you feel about it now?” Vina gently pressed on. _

_ “Now, I have a better understanding the advantages of marriage as an institution,” I responded “being with your person for the rest of your life and raising a family is not as daunting or unattainable as I previously made it to be..” _

_ “Good to know, Sebastian!” Vina smiled, wrinkling her nose in the cutest way. _

 

“So you’re saying that you would move to California?” Will concluded.

“I don’t have plans to move out of New York anytime soon,” I clarified “but I would not be opposed to settling down there!”

“Cats or dogs?” Will asked.

“Hmm, I grew up with a cat and became allergic,” I added “so I guess dogs- Frida, my girlfriend’s rescue dog is such a sweetheart!”

“Lastly, can you tell us anything about the next Avengers film?” Will inquired.

“Oh come on! You know I can’t say  _ anything _ , man!” I blurted out “All I’m gonna say is that it’s nothing like we’ve seen before in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, we’re all really proud of it!”

“Alright, so in a nutshell, what we have learned today is that Sebastian is happily in a relationship with a badass woman (sorry ladies!), long distance relationships  _ can  _ work, there’s more to California than LA, and that Avengers 3 will be EPIC!” Will enthusiastically summarized. “Did I miss anything?”

“Haha nope, you got everything!” I chuckled.

“And that concludes our podcast with Sebastian Stan!” Will called out “It’s always a hoot catching up with you man! Enjoy the rest of your time off!”

“Likewise!” I smiled, going in for his bro hug “and thanks, I will!”

 

**_February 14, 2018 (Valentine’s Day)_ **

It’s Valentine’s Day and I landed in LA about an hour ago. It’s about noon time and I am lounging on the couch of my girlfriend’s apartment, watching Friends reruns while Frida is snoozing right next to me. We were the only ones in the cozy apartment since Vina and Nicole were both at work. I managed to get in because of my copy of the key that Vina gave me when she was in New York. She also has a copy of the key to my apartment. My phone vibrates on the coffee table, signalling a phone call from Vina.

“Hi Vina, I landed this morning and am at your place,” I greeted her “Where are you?”

“Hi Sebastian! Sorry I’m not there,” She sighed “It totally slipped my mind to tell you that I’m helping out with interviews for USC’s PT admissions cycle. Since we gave interview spots to a lot of people, I won’t be home until dinner…”

“No worries, Vi!” I assured her “Frida and I can can go for a hike on Runyon canyon and I’ll cook us dinner!”

“Sounds good!” she happily replied “and oooh what are ya cooking up?”

“Nuh uh, that’s a surprise my dear!” I laughed, stroking Frida’s ears.

“If you say so!” She said over the various voices in the background “Listen Seb, I gotta go- I’ll be home for dinner! I love you!”

“I love you too! Happy interviewing!” I laughed, ending the call. 

 

“Oh geez, what am I gonna cook tonight?” I thought to myself, slightly panicking, looking around the kitchen. All of the sudden, my phone ringed again, but this time it was Vina’s mom, Maria, calling. 

“Hello Maria!” I said as I answered the phone “How are you?”

“Hi Sebastian, I am doing well, thanks!” Vina’s mom chimed “Is Vina with you?”

“No, she’s at USC helping out with admissions interviews,” I replied “I can tell her you called..”

“Thank you! I just wanted to let her know that Mateo and I will be in Hawaii for a week to celebrate our 26th anniversary,” she explained excitedly “he surprised me just now!”

“Wow, congratulations to you both!” I smiled “I’ll be sure to tell Vina! Oh and could I ask a favor?”

“Sure, what’s up?” Maria asked curiously.

“I’m making dinner for Vina tonight and I am in a dilemma of what I should cook,” I confessed “I don’t usually cook but I wanna surprise her!”

“Aw that’s so sweet!” she laughed “do you have a pen and notepad handy? I’ll give you my recipe for chicken adobo, it’s her favorite!”

“I do now!” I responded, getting ready to jot down notes “but are you sure you wanna give me the recipe, I won’t be offended if you don’t think I’m worthy to duplicate it..”

“Nonsense Sebastian!” Maria waved off “It’s Valentine’s Day! Okay here’s the ingredients you need…”

 

Frida and I had a good run on Runyon canyon, not too many people were out on the trail today, since it’s Wednesday. I did manage to get recognized by a fan and graciously agreed to take the picture. When we got back to the apartment, I showered quickly and put on a pair of jeans and a light grey long sleeve sweater. Operation “Chicken Adobo” was also a success, despite not being able to find the bay leaves at the store for a good twenty minutes. Thank god for kind ladies at the asian supermarket! I just finished cooking the chicken adobo and rice and I placed on serving dishes on the table. Just as I set the table and lit the candles, Vina walked in, wearing animal print flats, black blouse and pants, and a red blazer. Her long luscious hair was pulled into a simple french braid. Although she looked a little exhausted, her smile melted my heart.

“Sebastian!!” she exclaimed, kicking off her shoes and dropping her backpack near the door. “You’re here!!”

“I am!” I said, wrapping my arms around her, my lips finding her sweet spot under her ear, on the side of her neck “You have no idea how much I missed you!”

“Hmm, I kinda have an idea,” she moaned at my soft kisses, trying to pull away “Seb, wait! I’ve been running around the campus all day- let me freshen up real quick and change!”

“Oh alright,” I smirked, untangling from our embrace, and playfully smacking her ass “Don’t keep me waiting too long!”

“I won’t!” she cheekily winked as she looked back at me before disappearing into the  hallway. 

“You’re mom is something else!” I said to Frida, who barked in affirmation. About 20 minutes later, Vina emerged from her room, wearing a white blouse, blue skinny jeans, and a light grey jacket. Her hair was down, in carefree waves from the braid and her jaw dropped as she stopped in her tracks, admiring the Valentine’s Day dinner I prepared.

“Did you cook this?” Vina exasperated, gesturing her hands to point at the chicken.

“Wow, you don’t have to sound so shocked!” I joked, taking out her chair so she could sit down “but yes, I cooked it all by myself! You’re mom is a lifesaver by the way!”

“You called her?” Vina asked, as she put food on her plate.

“She called me, actually!” I explained, smiling at my girlfriend “She wanted me to let you know that they’re going to Hawaii this week, your dad surprised her!”

“Aww that’s great!” Vina chimed “This is delicious by the way!”

“Thanks!” I replied, digging into my plate. I proceeded to talk about my small debacle at the supermarket and she told me about her day interviewing potential students for the DPT program at USC. Vina also revealed to me that she had finalize the list of potential employers that could possibly hire her when she receives her orthopedic speciality. As of now, she was looking into working in Boston, Maryland, or New York.

“So which would you prefer, out of the three?” I curiously asked, setting my napkin on the table.

“That’s tough; I’ve always wanted to live in Boston, but I’d be working at an outpatient clinic, Maryland would also be cool since I would be working with veterans but then that’s the only patient population I’d work with..” She carefully thought aloud “New York would be amazing because I’d be working in one of the top ten inpatient rehabilitation centers in the country, but they’re extremely selective and I’m not sure how I’d be able to afford to live in New York, especially in Manhattan…”

“Hmmm, that’s quite a dilemma you’re in..” I said, my blue eyes looking into Vina’s round, dark brown eyes “besides you could live with me, if you choose New York.”

“Huh?!” Vina said, shocked, dropping her fork and spoon on the plate “Are you sure about that??”

“Well, I’ve been thinking about it a lot lately,” I professed “We’ve been together for about 8 months now and during half of that time, we were living on opposite coasts. Moving in together makes sense and it feels right!”

“But what about rent? Oh my god, I don’t even know if you’re even paying rent or if you own your apartment! I mean, I would definitely pay for my half of the rent, groceries, and utilities..” Vina adorably ranted on.

“Haha slow down, sweets!” I laughed, taking her soft hands into my hands “For the record, I own my apartment in SoHo so the rent issue is solved. If it puts your mind at ease, I won’t offer to pay back your student loans!”

“OH MY GOD, I would never even  _ think  _ of asking you to help me with my loans!” she exclaimed.

“Hahaha that’s why I said that I  _ won’t  _ offer to pay them!” I chuckled, placing a kiss on her hand. “Are you  _ really  _ opposed to living with me in SoHo?”

“Oh goodness, no not at all!” Vina blurted out “Most of my nervousness is stemming from the fact that I’ve never moved in with a boyfriend before, this is all very new to me..”

“So you never moved in with your ex?” I softly pressed on.

“No, we were only together three months..” Vina confessed “that relationship was so immature now that I look back on it.”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to pry!” I apologized, gathering our plates. “Wanna go out for dessert?”

“No need to apologize!” Vina smiled, as she helped me clean the table and load the dishes in the dishwasher “and that question is moot, babe- I will  _ always  _ be down to get dessert!”

 

Once Vina led Frida into her room to sleep, she came out wearing her burgundy red ankle boots, and we were off on our dessert run. We took her car and drove to Scoops to pick up a pint of black cherry ice cream. I had planned on taking her back to the our overlook spot, but she beat me to the driver’s seat.

“Where are you taking me?” I asked, holding on to the pint of ice cream.

“It’s a surprise!” Vina smiled cheekily, echoing my words from earlier. About 15 minutes later, she drove up a hill and entered the parking lot. As soon as I looked out the window, I was greeted by the dark blue sky and the view of LA. Straight ahead stood the Griffith Observatory, in its white, dome shaped glory.

“Woah!! I’ve always heard about this place, but I’ve never had the time to come out and visit!!” I said excitedly as I got out of the car.

“Hahaha I figured as much!” Vina chuckled at my childlike excitement, following me. “I think it’s more beautiful to come at night, it’s not crowded.”

My inner space nerd was unleashed when we entered the observatory. I lost myself in the different displays and telescopes that I wandered away from Vina. I didn’t realize that she went out in the back to look at the view, illuminated by the full moon. 

“Thank you for taking me here!” I exclaimed as I stood next to her and bent down to kiss her cheek. “Sorry about wandering off, I got too excited, I just couldn’t help it!”

“Aw no problem!” Vina smiled, wrapping her arm around my waist “Don’t ever apologize for being excited about your passion, I do it all the time!”

“You’re amazing!” I said in awe, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

“You’re alright,” she jokingly shrugged, causing me to tickle her sides “Ahhh no, I take that back, you’re amazing too!”

“Damn right!” I smirked, leaning in for a kiss. She wrapped her arms around my neck, her lips passionately returning my kiss. 

“Wowza,” Vina said as we reluctantly pulled apart “I’m gonna need some ice cream to cool down!”

“I almost forgot we bought ice cream!” I laughed as I saw her take the pint and two spoons from her bag.

“Come on,” Vina said, taking my hand, leading me to a grassy area, and setting up a picnic blanket “Let’s just eat our ice cream and enjoy the night sky.”

“Sounds good to me!” I said, sitting next to her and spreading my legs. We sat in silence, savoring the sweetness of both the ice cream and the musical sounds of a man singing and playing his ukelele nearby. When he changed the tune of the melody, Vina’s posture straightened, and she looked in the direction of the singer.

“Oh my gosh, this is one of my favorite songs ever!” Vina excitedly gushed. “It’s called Rest of My Life by Bruno Mars- wow, I’ve never heard a ukelele cover version before…” We both watched in silence as the man started crooning the lyrics:

“Everyday I wake up next to an angel

More beautiful than words could say

They said it wouldn't work but what did they know?

'Cause years have passed and we're still here today

 

Never in my dreams did I think that this would happen to me

 

As I stand here before my woman

I can't fight back the tears in my eyes

Oh, how could I be so lucky

I must've done something right

And I promise to love her for the rest of my life

 

Seems like yesterday when she first said "hello"

Funny how time flies when you're in love

It took us a lifetime to find each other

It was worth the wait 'cause I finally found the one

 

Never in my dreams did I think that this would happen to me

 

As I stand here before my woman

I can't fight back the tears in my eyes

Oh how could I be so lucky

I must've done something right

And I promise to love her for the rest of my life”

 

“That’s such a beautiful song,” I smiled, snuggling Vina closer to me. I was surprised about how the lyrics struck a chord in my heart, because I felt the exact same way about her.

“It’s one of my favorites,” Vina happily sighed “Sebastian, tell me something I don’t know about you..”

“Hmm,” I thought aloud “I’ve never been camping before!”

“WHAT?!” Vina gasped, turning to look at me “Like ever? Not even tent camping??”

“I’m from Romania!” I chuckled “And when I moved to New York, the chances of camping were slim.”

“We must remedy this right away!” my cute girlfriend declared “How long are you in LA for?”

“After today, four days,” I explained “I fly back Monday morning!”

“This is perfect!” Vina exclaimed “How do you feel about taking a weekend camping trip at Joshua Tree? It’s only a 2 and a half hour drive from here..”

“Let’s go!” I replied “But I don’t own hiking/camping gear..”

“We’ll go to REI tomorrow to get some stuff!” Vina assured me.

“Oh my gosh, what have I just agreed to..?” I jokingly teased.

“Sebastian, you’re gonna love camping!” Vina smiled, with the familiar twinkle in her eyes.

 

**_Sunday morning_ **

So my California visit has been very busy and fun. Here’s a recap: on Thursday we drove out to Santa Monica to pick up some camping gear, we left LA on Friday morning to Joshua Tree and walked around the town to eat and explore. That afternoon, we settled on our campsite; I was clueless on how to set up a camping tent, but Vina was very patient with me and we  _ eventually  _ got it set up. As soon as we settled in, we were rewarded by the breathtaking sunset that illuminated the cactus and rock filled desert. It was unlike any sunset I’ve ever seen before, the orange pink gradient colored clouds complimented the blue sky. Since it is February, the nights have been cold; Vina and I ended up zipping our sleeping bags together and burritoed ourselves in it. Yesterday we went out to visit the Cholla Cactus Gardens and went hiking on the Skull Rock and Ryan Mountain trails. I should also mention that we also brought Frida along with us, prompting us to rent a car for this camping trip. You guessed it, we rented a black Jeep Wrangler! 

 

During our hikes yesterday, Vina and I were also talking about the podcast I did with Will since it was released the way before Valentine’s Day..

_ “So that was a pretty interesting podcast you did!” Vina said, as we maneuvered our way around the dry, rocky trail. _

_ “Oh gosh, you actually listened to it?” I blushed, slightly embarrassed. _

_ “Yeah, I listened to it on my lunch break,” Vina explained “that unicorn reference was hilarious by the way!” _

_ “So you don’t mind that we talked about you?” I asked, holding my hand up to take Frida’s leash, so she could climb over the rock. _

_ “Not at all!” Vina responded “It was entertaining; so you really can’t give me just one Avengers 3 secret?!” _

_ “Do you really want to know?” I challenged her, smirking. _

_ “Uhh no I don’t!” my athletic girlfriend rolled her eyes “I’d like to be surprised, thank you very much! It’s not like you’d tell me anyway..” _

_ “Oh baby, you just don’t know what power you have over me..” I added, letting her lead the way, my eyes wandering appreciatively down her toned, hiking pant clad legs. “Find my weakness, and I just might tell you a set secret or two..” _

_ “My eyes are up here, Seb!” Vina laughed turning back at me, catching my lustrous stare “and I think I have an idea!” _

I woke up first, finding Vina’s head lying on my chest with our arms and legs wrapped around each other. Vina was snoozed out, her mouth slightly open, allowing her soft snores to fill the small tent. Frida was sleeping inside the tent as well, her lean body lying by our feet. As I stroked my girlfriend's soft hair and inhaled the sweet coconut scent, my thoughts were interrupted when Vina sleepily said “Good morning!”

“Buna dimineata!” I rasped “Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you..”

“S’okay, I could feel Frida licking our feet,” she softly giggled, causing me to angle my head to see the black greyhound, giving me a mischievous look with her dark round eyes. We laid there in comfortable silence, mostly because we were freezing and tired from yesterday’s adventures. When Vina turned her head to look at me, I came to the realization that she is the only woman on this universe that I want to wake up and start my day with. This made me feel exhilarated because I truly had not felt this way about anyone else in my life. 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Visual inspiration (I do not own these images!)  
> 1st Image= California Academy of Sciences  
> 2nd image= Vina's work outfit  
> 3rd & 4th images= Sebastian's and Vina's looks for Valentine's Day  
> 5th image= Griffith Observatory  
> 6th image= their camping spot at Joshua Tree National Park


	12. The Time She Made a Decision

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 12 continues into March 2018: Sebastian is back home in New York and Vina is in Los Angeles finishing up her residency. She comes across an amazing opportunity work-wise and has to make the biggest decision of her life (so far).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Sorry it's been a while since I updated, I didn't have my laptop for 2 weeks (it was getting repaired). Here's Chapter 12, enjoy! :)  
> Translations:  
> *Isa pa= One more!

 

_ Mid- March 2018 (Friday) _

**_~Vina’s POV~_ **

“Isa pa!*” Julian yelled as he noticed my exhaustion seeping out of me “Come on Vi, bring it on this next combo!” I clench my teeth, tracking his left fist swinging at me. I bobbed and weaved my way through, dodging his left jab and countering it with a jab-jab-cross combo.

“Like that?!” I ask tiredly, sweat pouring down my face.

“Yes, just like that,” my boxing trainer replied “alright, go do your cooldown. Good work today!”

“Salamat, kuya!” I laugh, removing my boxing gloves “I’ll see you next week!”

“Until next time!” Julian waves off as he made his way to his next client, who happens to be Gina Rodriguez. “Good luck at the conference!”

“Vina!!” Gina smiles, coming to me with outstretched arms “I haven’t seen you at all this week? Where you been, chica?”

“Gina!” I say, trying to dodge her hug because I was a sweaty mess, she didn’t care at all though and gave me a bear hug. “I’ve been coming to the 5 am class, work has been busy!”

“I see,” she replies, as she put on her gloves “How is Seb? I haven’t seen him in a while..”

“He’s doing good!” I smile back “He’s back in New York, taking some time off before shooting in June.”

“That’s amazing,” she responds “I would kill for some time off-”

“Aye Gina!!” Julian loudly interrupts us, shouting from across the gym, waving his arms obnoxiously “Hurry up!”

“Geez, I’m coming!!” Gina shouts back “I gotta go Vi, we have to have lunch soon to catch up!!”

“Definitely!” I chime, waving goodbye “You have my number, just hit me up whenever!”

 

I make my way over to the training mats and settle myself into child’s pose, starting my cool down yoga sequence. To recap, work has been very busy with my board exam coming up in a month and with the clinic taking in new patients. For some reason, spring time is when we see even more patients. It could be because more people are physically active due to new year’s resolutions and don’t ease into whatever physical activity they partake in. Anyway, Nicole and I have also been busy studying for pur board exams for our residencies ever since the new year started. My schedule right now is “Eat, sleep, work, study. Repeat”, with running or boxing thrown in 3 times a week. My hard work did pay off though, as I felt prepared and ready during the exam. Hopefully my exam scores reflect it! On the bright side, the research I co-authored with Dr. Morrison has been analyzed, completed, and even accepted for presentation at a conference in Seattle this weekend! Even though our research was only a pilot study, the results suggest that there may be a correlation with midfoot striking and injury prevention in running. There needs to be more research done to prove this theory, but we are happy that it pioneers more work in that field. 

 

Relationship wise, Sebastian and I have been going strong despite the fact that we live on opposite sides of America. It is the middle of March now and we haven’t seen each other in person for about a month. I will admit that the distance has been tough, but we do talk to each other whenever I drive back from work or from boxing. Letting each other know how our day went does help immensely in keeping our line of communication open. I also find that the distance makes me appreciate Sebastian even more. Since he is in New York and I am here in Los Angeles, I still get butterflies in my stomach when he sends me a cute good morning text or a funny text about something he saw that reminded him of me. The distance is also great in giving me my own time to do what I am passionate about, besides work. My routine of running and new incorporation of boxing has made me a stronger and happier human being. 

 

After ending with downward dog pose, I get up off the mat, gather my stuff, and get to my car to go home. As I enter the freeway, my phone rings and I see Sebastian’s goofy smile light the screen. Smiling giddily to myself, I answer the phone but am greeted by a sad boyfriend.

“What’s wrong, mi amor?” I ask softly, observed the busy highway.

“Nothing much,” Sebastian mumbled “Today has been hard because it marks the 4 year anniversary of when my step dad past away..” Sebastian had lost his step dad to Alzheimer’s about 4 years ago; it's a sad thing we have in common because I lost my grandmother, Rose, to Alzheimer’s as well.

“Aww Seb,” I reply understandingly “I’m sorry today has been tough baby. But instead about being sad, just remember the good things he taught you! This always helps me when I’m feeling down about my lola.”

“Really? I’m not sure if that’ll help..” Seb hesitantly sighed.

“You never know unless you try!” I say softly coaxing him to participate “I’ll go first: I’ll always be grateful to my lola for teaching me to play the piano and watching each of my school plays!”

“You never told me you can play the piano! My mom will be so happy!” Seb exclaimed “Okay, I’ll always be thankful to my step dad for bringing me here to the States and for teaching me the importance of getting an education!”

“That’s lovely Sebastian!” I smiled into the phone.

“That really made me feel better,” my boyfriend added “Thanks, baby!”

“No problem!” I say, merging onto the right lane, getting ready to exit “Have you watched Geo’s film yet? He’s been asking me what you think of it..”

“I have!” Sebastian exclaims “it’s unlike anything I’ve seen before- are you sure this is his first film?”

“I’m pretty sure!” I assure him “Why?”

“It’s unlike anything I’ve seen before,” he explains “and the topic is so relevant, yet not really talked about at all. We all know that the industry needs to do a better job in casting diverse actors for diverse roles. Geo’s film explores that and even criticizes the issue.”

“Wow, Sebastian,” I reply thoughtfully “So I take it that you like it?!”

“Like it? I LOVE it!!” Sebastian declares happily “I think it’s something that needs to be shared and will share it with everyone I know, with Geo’s permission of course!”

“He will freak out when he finds out!” I say excitedly.

“I’m glad!” he replied happily. “I’m drafting the email right now!”

“Good to know Seb,” I said noticing an incoming call from my brother Vince. “Hey can I call you back? Vince is calling me and he  _ never  _ calls unless he has big news..”

“Yes! Just text me when you get back home, I wanna Skype. I miss your face,” my dork of a boyfriend chuckled.

“Will do, talk soon! Love you!” I greeted goodbye.

“Love you too!” Seb smiled before he ended our call.

“What’s up Vince!” I exclaimed, answering his call. 

“I have some big news!!” Vince happily replied back.

“Please tell me you heard back from MIT!!” I shouted excitedly.

“I did, looks like you’re talking to an MIT graduate student in their Aerospace engineering program, starting this fall!!” Vince said proudly.

“OH MY GOD! Congratulations Vince, you have no idea how proud I am of you right now!!” I happily replied. “Have you told mom and dad yet?”

“Thanks Vi, that really means a lot!” he responded “And not yet, you’re the first person I told, I literally just found out 5 minutes ago..”

“Wow, I’m honored Vinny!” I laughed “So it’s safe to say that you’re moving to Boston then?”

“I think that’s a fair assumption!” Vince laughed “How are you? Have you decided on where you are gonna move to?”

“I’m doing great! I’ll be in Seattle this weekend to present my research at a conference,” I explained “I haven’t decided yet. I have my interview with Rusk Rehab of New York on Monday when I get back- it’s a video conference call!”

“That’s awesome! You’ll do great at the conference and at your interview!” my brother assured me “I gotta tell the parentals about my good news, talk to you soon Vi!”

“Hahaha thanks Vince! Tell them I said hi!” I added, exiting the freeway.

“I will!” he replied before hanging up. 

 

After parking Rita, I bounded up the stairs excited to be home after a busy Friday. When I entered my humble apartment, I was greeted to a funny sight: Nicole asleep on the couch, her head thrown back, her laptop set aside on the arm of the couch, with Frida asleep on her lap. Not wanting to disturb them, I quietly walked to my room and turn my laptop on, opened Skype, and texted Sebastian.

**_Me, 8:00 p.m:_ ** _ Hola! I’m home now! _

**_Sebastian, 8:01 p.m:_ ** _ Finally!!! I’m a block away from my place. _

**_Me, 8:02 p.m:_ ** _ Haha try to contain your excitement- Nicole and Frida are napping in the next room! _

**_Sebastian, 8:02 p.m:_** _I’ll try_

**_Me, 8:03 p.m:_ ** _ Do or do not.. There is no try. _

**_Sebastian, 8:04 p.m:_ ** _ Wow, quoting Yoda now?! _

**_Me, 8:04 p.m:_ ** _ You walked right into that one, I had to! _

**_Sebastian, 8:05 p.m:_ ** _ You are such a dork _

**_Me, 8:06 p.m:_ ** _ A dork that you love! _

**_Sebastian, 8:07 p.m:_ ** _ Also true! I’m home now- calling you!  _

 

About five seconds later, my computer screen chimed and I answered Sebastian’s video call. I was immediately greeted with his adorable face, his smile reached his twinkling blue eyes.

“Hi Vi!” Sebastian smiles “I miss you! Did you just get back from a workout? You’re lookin mighty fine!”

“Hi Seb! I miss you too!” I smile back “Haha thanks, I guess- I’m all sweaty though! I just got done boxing with Julian, he really kicked my ass today!”

“I mean it Vi, I love you as you are but seeing you get done from a workout does things to me,” he says shyly “What’s up with Vince?”

“Aww thank you Sebastian! I feel the same way about you!” I happily add “Vince is doing well, he’s starting the Aerospace engineering master’s program at MIT this fall!!”

“Wow, that’s AMAZING!!” Seb exclaimed excitedly.

“It really is! I’m so proud of him, he works so hard,” I say wistfully.

“He really does. So what’s been going on with you Vi? How is work?” Seb asks, genuinely interested in hearing what I’ve been up to. I tell him about my time boxing at Wildcard West and running with Nicole. I also update him on work, how Cathy and I are presenting in Seattle this weekend and how my interview with Rusk Rehab is on Monday.

“So does this mean you  _ are _ moving to New York and living with me?!” Sebastian asks anxiously, his baby blues glimmering with hope.

“Possibly! I haven’t even had the interview yet, Seb,” I chuckle.

“Oh you’re gonna do great on the interview, they’ll hire you on the spot!” he confidently declares.

“You think so?” I ask shyly “The are getting quite competitive this year..”

“Oh  dragă, I know so!” Sebastian assures me. “If not on the spot, they’ll hire you after realizing the other applicants don’t compare to you.”

“Hahaha good to know Seb!” I happily chime back. “I’ll let you know what happens! Listen, I gotta pack for my trip this weekend. I love you! Good night, sweet dreams!”

“Alright, have a safe trip! I love you too, goodnight!” Sebastian smiles and waves back before I end the call.

 

As I get started on packing my carry on bag, Frida wanders over in my room and settle herself on my bed. She gives me this look, it’s as if her brown eyes were calling me to come cuddle with her.

“Aww I can’t right now Frida, I have to pack for tomorrow!” I say throwing my arms in the air. At that exact moment, Nicole bursted into my room with a shocked and happy look on her face.

“Boston General offered me a job!!!!” my redhead roommate exclaimed loudly. “I just got off the phone with them and they want me to start on April 1st!”

“Oh my gosh!! You’re moving to Boston?!” I exclaim giving my best friend a bear hug. “I knew the would offer you the position!”

“YES!!!” she happily responds “And thank you, I’m really excited! Living in the marathon capital  _ and  _ moving in with Chris is gonna be quite an adventure!”

“You told Chris before me?!” I shockingly ask in a joking manner.

“I was gonna tell you first but Chris had called right after and it sorta just slipped out!” Nicole frantically explained.

“No worries Nic, I’m just messin with you!” I assure her “Wow, it’s great that they want you to start right away- when are you moving out there?”

“It’s all happening so fast!” she says “I need to be in Boston by the end of next week to make it in time for training, I’m moving in with Chris!”

“That’s exciting!” I happily add “Now that you’ll be in Boston, I’ll have a reason to visit!”

“Oh definitely!” my friend reassures me “And I know that I’ll have a place in New York to stay!”

“Haha, I haven’t had my interview yet, but your confidence in me is reassuring!” I respond “I’m actually a little nervous about moving in with Sebastian if I do end up moving to New York..”

“Aww don’t be! Chris actually told me the other day that Sebastian is really excited about you moving in with him. Rusk Rehab  _ will  _ hire you!” Nicole cheerfully affirms.

“That’s good to hear!” I smile back “Hopefully everything turns out fine! Well, I gotta finish packing, thanks again for watching Frida this weekend!”

“No problem! Frida is the best napping buddy!” Nicole coos as she strokes my greyhound’s soft black coat. “Have fun at the conference, you and Cathy will do great!” And with that, Nicole went to her room and I finished packing my conference bag. Once all my stuff was ready to go, I got ready for bed. Man these next few weeks are gonna be hectic, I thought to myself as I slipped under my smooth bed sheets. 

 

_ March 2018 (following Monday) _

So the Seattle conference went very well: a lot of new and exciting research was presented and our presentation received much talk and among various professors, students, and health-care professionals. What I also found interesting was the amount of fun I had after the conference. Cathy introduced me to her former colleagues and we had a blast doing karaoke on our night out. During our stay at the karaoke bar, I ran into Nava, Seb’s friend Simon’s wife. We caught up with each other and she was also in Seattle for the conference and bid my good luck on my interview with Rusk Rehab. Overall, my time in Seattle was worthwhile for me in both the professional and social sense; I have gained new friendships! 

 

I am currently back in Los Angeles, sitting in the clinic’s conference room, waiting patiently for Rusk to call. Just as I am calming myself before the interview my phone vibrates on the table, signalling a text from Sebastian. I quickly open the message to see his text of encouragement. “You got this Vina! I love you!” it says and suddenly I am no longer nervous. The weight off my shoulders has been lifted and I settle my phone in my purse. The laptop chimes with and incoming video call from Rusk and I answer confidently, hoping to do well.

“Hello Vina, I am Joseph Ly the in-patient clinic coordinator for Rusk,” he says, giving a warm welcome. “You can call me Joe by the way. And relax, this interview is more laid back compared to other places”

“Alright Joe!” I beam back and the interview starts. And boy was it laidback! For about half an hour, all we talked about was my research, my time at Vitality Motion, and running. We really bonded over the latter because Joe is also into marathon running.

“I’m not sure if you know this,” Joe explains “but the physical therapists at Rusk Rehab have a long standing rivalry with the PTs at NYU Langone when it comes to running!”

“Wow, it’s actually true!” I exclaim “Someone this past weekend mentioned that but I thought it seemed too good to be true. So what is the big race you guys train for?”

“The New York City Marathon in November. Are you game?” Joe asks.

“Oh I’m totally down to run it!” I assure him “But the fact that you’re asking me tells me something else though..”

“That’s right, you’re hired!” Joe happily announces “In fact, you’ve had the job since before I called, I just wanted to get to know you first before telling you the good news!”

“Oh my goodness! Thank you so much, I’m very excited!” I happily respond “Do you do that to all the new therapists you hire?”

“Only the ones that are gonna help us beat Langone!” Joe jokingly adds. “But all kidding aside, welcome to Rusk! We are excited to work with you as well!” 

“Likewise!” I say back and he informs me on all the details regarding my move to New York. Since my orthopedic residency exam results don’t come out until May 1 and it takes a month to process, I won’t officially start working at Rusk Rehab until the beginning of June. This isn’t a problem at all because they want me to work as an aide until my exam results get processed. The lease on my apartment ends at the end of the month, meaning I gotta get started on packing for my move to New York. 

 

Once the conference call ends, I call my mom to tell her the good news. I was lead straight to her voice mail and leave a message. The cafe is probably busy right now, I think to myself. I impulsively video call Sebastian to share my good news. I wasn’t sure if he was at the gym but I thought I’d give it a try. He answered on the third ring and I was greeted by him and his mom sitting at his dining table in his apartment

“Hi Sebastian!” I nervously smile “Hello Mrs. Stan, it’s nice to meet you! I’m Vina!”

“Hello Vina! Please call me Clara, I haven’t been Mrs. Stan in ages!” Clara happily chimes back, waving at me. “It is nice to meet you too, you look lovely today!”

“Aww thanks so much!” I chuckle “I now understand where Seb gets his smile from!” This causes a blush to creep on Sebastian’s cheeks and Clara to beam proudly.

“Wow, intelligent, polite, and complimentary!” Clara happily proclaims

“Thanks mother!” Sebastian says, speaking for the first time since I called. “Can we have some privacy, please?”

“Oh alright!” Clara waves off “It really is nice meeting you Vina, I hope to meet you in person, soon!” and with that, she leaves the frame, giving Sebastian and I privacy.

“Hi!” Sebastian softly greets me. “You look beautiful, I mean you always do but today you look especially stunning.. How was the interview?”

“Hi!” I smile shyly. “Thank you, the interview went great actually. It looks like you’re gonna have to pick me up at the airport at the end of this month!”

“You got the job?!” Sebastian shouts excitedly “You’re moving to New York?!”

“YES!!” I reply and tell him all about what happened during the interview and the logistics of me starting work at Rusk. I also start to tell him how I need to pack my stuff and move out of my apartment.

“I can fly down and help you move out if you want,” Sebastian offers

“No that’s okay, I don’t have that- I don’t have that much stuff,” I explain “I can probably fit all my clothes in 2 check in luggages.”

“Okay, are you gonna bring your car with you?” Sebastian asks curiously “I mean, you don’t really need to bring it, but it is a practical car to drive, especially in the city.”

“I’m gonna leave Rita here in California, either with Vince or my mom,” I think aloud. “So this is really happening, I am moving to New York!”

“Yes! My girlfriend is gonna live with me!” Sebastian cheers excitedly. We talk some more until my mom returns my call. 

"Mom! I got the job, I'm moving to New York!" I break the news to her.

"Oh Vina, congratulations! Your dad and I are so happy for you!" she happily gushes. I tell her all about the interview and the details of my move, including my new workplace and where I am going to live. To my surprise, they don't seem to be opposed to me moving in with Sebastian. In fact, they agree with him; 'It's been 9 months anak, it's time!' they say

"But you guys didn't even move in together before getting married, you got married 2 months after dating each other!" I say in shock to their reaction, which I was not expecting.

"Yes, but I wish that I did! It would have been nice to know that your dad leaves his clothes everywhere before I married him!" my mom laughs.

"I don't do that anymore!" My dad exclaims, earning a smile from my mom. "That's because you hate when I nag you about it!" she says.

"You guys are too cute!" I chuckle "I have to go now, I gotta get back to work!"

"Bye Vi, let us now if you need help moving out of the apartment!" My dad says before he hangs up. 

 

_ End of March 2018 _

Nicole and I are currently at LAX, waiting for our flights to Boston and New York. This past week has been really hectic with our residencies finishing up and moving out of our apartment. Vince was able to help us move out and I thanked him by giving him my car to keep. I did manage to fit all of my stuff in 1 check in luggage and 1 carry on bag. The new people moving into the apartment are also incoming DPT students, so Nicole and I left the furniture with them. 

Now that Nicole and I won’t be living together anymore, we created an a joint, public Instagram account called @TheQuaintrelleRunners to share our running and work life journey with each other. We believed this would motivate us in a fun way to continue training and further cultivate our friendship. Our Instagram bio reads “ _ 1 in NY + 1 in Boston = 2 DPTs exploring the road of running and life.”  _ Our posts will include pictures and videos of our training runs, food, work, and encouragement. The posts will be captioned like a video diary, the both of us addressing each other.  

“Hey, let’s take one last picture and use it as the first post on the joint Insta!” Nicole suggests, getting her camera ready for a selfie.

“Good idea!” I say as she put her face next to mine and takes the shot of us smiling. Not too long after, my phone chimes to notify me that she tagged me in the photo. The caption of the post is “Just because we won’t be living together doesn’t mean we won’t be training together! East Coast we’re coming for ya! #ChrisEvans @imsebastianstan get ready!”

“Wow, we just gained 200 followers and you just posted it!” I said in awe.

“I know, hopefully this will motivate more people to go outside and exercise,” Nicole adds. The intercom announces that my flight is ready to board and I give my best friend one last hug before I leave.

“Alrighty, Nicole!” I say after I hug her “This isn’t a goodbye, only a see you later!”

“True!” She smiles back “Don’t forget to post on our account and don’t worry about Frida, she’ll be fine in her dog crate!”

“I hope so!” I reply “Love you, have a safe flight!”

“I will!” she waves back as I walk over to the boarding line. Once I board the plane, I settle myself into my seat, say a quick prayer for a safe flight for both myself, Frida and Nicole, and fall asleep. 

 

_ 6 hours later.. _

The flight was quite calm and the plane landed safely. Frida seemed alright since she was fast asleep in her crate by the time I picked her up off the luggage claim. Once I opened the crate, she woke up and walked towards me, licking my face.

“Oh Frida, I’m happy to see you too!” I stroke her ears as I settle the leash on her collar. “Let’s go, Balthasar is waiting for us outside!” 

We quickly make our way across the bustling airport and step out. I am facing to my right, looking for Sebastian’s driver, Balthasar but a familiar deep voice call out to me. I know that voice anywhere.

“There she is!” Sebastian happily exclaims with his arms stretched out.

“Sebastian!!” I laugh, running towards his arms. He pulls me into a hug, wrapping his strong arms around me and kisses me for the first time in a month and a half. I happily sigh into the kiss and Sebastian is about to deepen it until Frida barks, wanting attention from Sebastian too. We pull apart, chuckling as he bends down to Frida and pets her. He is welcomed by a slobbery kiss.

“I thought Baltha was gonna pick me up?” I say as he carries my bags into the back of a car.

“He is visiting his mom in Spain and I wanted to come pick you up!” Sebastian explains as he opens the door for me. “I got an Uber instead!”

“I can see that!” I say as I get into the car, motioning for Frida to sit as well. “How are you?”

“Better now that you’re finally here!” Sebastian smiles “You ready to go home?”

“Si, vamos!” I laugh and give him a quick kiss. 

This is going to be quite an adventure, I thought to myself as Sebastian wrapped his arm around my shoulder and rested his head on top of mine.

  

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Visual inspiration for Chapter 12:  
> 1st image: Vina's boxing look  
> 2nd image: Vina's look for Rusk conference call  
> 3rd image: When Sebastian picks Vina up from the airport  
> 


	13. The Time Their Parents Met

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Their new chapter begins as Vina settles into living in New York with Sebastian. April 2018 is written in Vina's POV and May 2018 is written in Sebastian's POV.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Friday! Here is an updated chapter, enjoy!

  _April 2018_

**~Vina’s POV~**

My big relocation to New York has proved to be a great and welcome change so far. Aside from the fact that was such an absolute sweetheart about me moving in with him, my coworkers at Rusk Rehab and Sebastian’s close knit group of friends were all happy to gain a new friend and welcomed me with open arms. The first week I got settled into Seb’s apartment, Sebastian picked me up from work and we had dinner with his close friends

 

_Flashback to that day.._

**_~Vina’s POV~_ **

_“Hey Vina! Are you down for a long run with us on Sunday morning?” my boss Joe asked me as I excited the staff lounge._

_“Sure! How long are we talkin?” I asked curiously, as I slung on my backpack._

_“15 miles sound okay?” he replied with a big smile on his face._

_“I can handle 15, I hope!” I responded,squinting my eyes at his funny expression. “Why are you looking at me like that? Am I wearing my scrub top inside out again?!”_

_“Hahaha no!” He chuckled, raising his hand to point in the direction behind me. “Hi Sebastian!”_

_“Huh?!” I quickly turn around and see my boyfriend casually dressed in dark wash jeans, a navy blue t shirt, and black sneakers. He had this adorable grin on his face._

_“What are you doing here?” I say as I come in for a hug. “I was just about to stop by the store  and get some stuff for dinner tonight..”_

_“Well, I’ll leave you two to it!” Joe laughed and waved off “See you bright and early on Sunday, Vina!” We said our goodbyes and made our way outside and into the busy streets. Sebastian took my hand in his and looked down at me._

_“Change of plan,” he smiled “my best friend Charles is back in town and the guys wanted to have dinner to celebrate his homecoming. I thought this would be the perfect opportunity for you to meet them all!”_

_“Cool! Sounds perfect,” I say looking down at my outfit. “are we heading there now? I’m still wearing my scrubs..”_

_“Yes, the place is like 4 blocks away and they’re already there!” Sebastian explains, giving me a flirty smirk and slowly inching his right hand in the direction of my backside. “no worries, they won’t mind at all! I know I certainly won’t..” Ever since Sebastian walked in on me putting on my white medical coat on the first day I went to work, he has been lowkey turned on at the sight of me wearing that and my work scrubs. I don’t really understand it, considering that I usually came to work in flats or running shoes but whatever floats his boat, I guess!_

_“Ay Seb, stop it!” I laugh, trying to squirm my way out of his wandering touch. I swear this man will be the death of me “The paps are gonna see!”_

_“Let em see, then!” he whispers when he leans down to my ear, subtly squeezing my hip._

_The rest of the short walk was tame, with me talking about my day at work and Sebastian recalling a funny story about his morning at the gym. The place we were having dinner was a small bistro that happened to have open mic night. We entered that quaint and softly lit bistro, Sebastian leading me to the table to where his friends were seated. Chace and Simon were present, giving me comfort in the fact that I wouldn’t be a total stranger._

_“And he is finally here!” Simon exclaimed, waving his arms. We greeted each other as we settled down._

_“Sorry, Simon!” I say as I sat down next to Sebastian “Seb had to pick me up from work, explaining my lack of dressing up tonight” earning smiles and laughter from Seb and his friends_

_“Don’t worry about it!” Simon replied “Nava is actually on her way over now, she got stuck charting and will most likely be in here scrubs as well. You’ll be matching!”_

_“Yes!” I laugh, pumping my fist in the air. And with that, Sebastian introduces me to his close friends. In addition to Chace and Simon, also in attendance were his college friends James, Ethan, Gary and his wife Louise, his friend Will, and the guest of honor, Charles. James and Ethan are in publishing, Gary is in finance, Will is an entrepreneur and podcast host, and Charles is a writer. They all ask about my job, my experience running, and how I’m adjusting to life in New York. Naturally, this conversation turns into a comparison of California living and New York living. To my surprise, I’m not the only California native at the table; turns out that Louise is from San Diego!_

_“Okay, so besides that perfect weather that you Angelinos have, what IS it that makes California so great?” Will playfully challenges me, looking me expectantly._

_“First of all, I am a Norcal girl! No offense Louise,” I explain, smiling at her._

_“None taken! You tell him!” Louise chimes back_

_“California is the only state that has a plethora of diverse cuisine, bomb ski slopes, national parks, amazing surf waves, and two types of city life!” I proudly exclaim._

_“Not to mention, the California tacos are out of this world!” Nava adds as she settles in her seat between Simon and I. “I have yet to find tacos here that come close!”_

_“Exactly!” I smile back at her and give her a hug. We both laugh as we look at each other’s outfits, we’re both wearing scrubs._

_“Okay, you got me Vina!” Will sighs, holding his arms in surrender “You make a strong case for your home state. Seb, Vina can play some hardball, I approve!”_

_“Trust me, I know!” Seb smirks, getting a soft elbow to the chest from me “I’m afraid you’re stuck with me Vina!”_

_“Oh man, what did I get myself into?” I joke, causing the table to laugh and Sebastian to squeeze my knee under the table._

_The food arrives and the conversations run wild, with Sebastian catching up with his friends, leaving the women to talk about other things. I learn that Louise majored in biology at NYU and met Gary through mutual friends while she got her master’s in public health. She married Gary when she finished school and is now currently working for a biotech company as a safety scientist. I found this very interesting since her story is almost identical to Tita Lydia’s, except for the fact that Gary and Louise don’t have kids yet. Since Nava, Louise, and I have a background in biology, we get into a deep conversation about the healthcare field and research that the men at the table become silent and listen to our conversation. We don’t notice this until Chace clears his throat._

_“Okay ladies, enough with the medical jargon!” Will smiles, rubbing his hands and looking at me expectantly. “Vina, it’s tradition of ours to have the newbie to the group to sing on open mic night!”_

_“What?” I ask surprisingly, looking around at the table._

_“True story, I had to do it and I can’t sing!” Louise says, with Nava nodding in agreement, “Me too!” she says._

_“Go Vina!” James, Ethan, and Chace start to softly chant._

_“You don’t have to do it  if you don’t want too, Vi!” Seb softly says, noticing my surprise and reassures me by stroking my knee._

_“Hey, I’ll even go up there with you! We can sing a duet!” Charles friendly suggests “Us Asians gotta stick together!”_

_“Oh fine, if I must! And thanks Charles, but next time!” I smile announce, standing to my feet and seeing Simon’s guitar. “Hey Simon, can you play while I sing?”_

_“Sure!” Simon happily says “What song do you have in mind?” I whisper the song in his ear and he says “Ooh one of my favorites!” And with that, I get on the small stage and grab the microphone, with Simon perched on a stool to my left._

_“Good evening everyone! My name is Vina and I’ll be singing a cover of the song ‘If We’d Never Met’ by Gabe Bondoc. I’m a little rusty, but otherwise, enjoy!” I say into the mic, winking at Sebastian, who blushes. The audience applauds, with a loud cheers and hollers from my table. Simon starts to play the chords and I start to sing “If we’d never met…”_

**_Sebastian’s POV_ **

_As I watched my girlfriend sing the mellow song in shock and awe, Charles nudged me in the ribs, causing my attention on Vina to falter for a second._

_“Damn, Sebastian. You never told us your girl can sing!” Charles smiled, gaining agreeing nods from the our whole table._

_“I honestly never knew!” I confess to them “I think she gets shy about her singing..”_

_“Well, she has no reason to!” Nava smiles as she watches her husband Simon and Vina perform. For the next few minutes, we all watch Vina sing, taking in her angelic voice. Once the she fades the last note, the bistro erupts in happy applause and cheers, our table included. Vina giggles shyly at the praise, says thank you and walks back to the table, leaving Simon to sing next._

_“Can I just say, you are NOT rusty at all!” James and Ethan exclaim, smiling at my girlfriend._

_“You can really sing, Vina!” Charles adds “Why were you nervous?”_

_“Aw thanks you guys!” Vina smiles back “I don’t know, I think because I met most of you today..” gaining understanding nods from Nava and Louise._

_“Now I know to duet with for karaoke!” Will adds._

_“Hey now, she’s my designated partner from now on!” I say wrapping my arm around my girlfriend._

_“Be nice, Seb!” Vina laughs “Don’t worry Will, we can duet one of these days!” The night continues as we watch Simon perform a couple of his songs. My eyes can’t help but watch Vina with rapt attention, taking in her reactions to Simon’s performance. She feels me watching her, turns her head, looks at me with a question in her brown eyes._

_“I’m just happy that you’re here with me!” I happily sigh, bending my neck down to kiss her cheek._

**Back to reality..**

**~Vina’s POV~**

I genuinely feel that I have found my people at Rusk Rehab. I mean, don’t get me wrong, working at Vitality Motion has been fantastic but gaining new friends that are passionate about running _and_ physical therapy is a dream come true! One of the many positive changes that I am embracing, since my move, is running to work everyday. Now, this may seem impossible considering the fact that running on the streets of Manhattan can feel like a stop and go run, but since I run along the East River, my morning commute is enjoyable because it’s earth friendly, my marathon training fits in, and I get to run with two of my coworkers since they also live in SoHo. I go on these runs with Callie and Keiko; Keiko is three years older that me and is also training for her first marathon, Callie is in her thirties, a mother to her three year old (Max), and an experienced marathoner. Since it takes us about an hour to finish our five and a half mile morning commute, we talk about work and life in general. Sometimes we don’t speak at all and that’s completely fine because sometimes a run calls for comfortable silence.

I have also finally met Sebastian’s mom, Clara in person. We met when she stopped by the apartment to drop off a couple of Sebastian’s things because she was downsizing to an apartment in Brooklyn. Clara was very welcoming towards me and was very happy to learn that I can play the piano. Although our meeting was short, we exchanged numbers, and she made me promise her that we’d all have dinner. I happily agreed, even mentioning that my parents would fly in on the last weekend of April. This made Clara very happy and we scheduled for to have the dinner on the last Sunday, which is tomorrow. My parents are in Manhattan for a baking convention and were pleased to find out that they would be having dinner with us.

 

Sebastian and I are currently at his usual salon, getting his hair trimmed before dinner with the parents. As I am watching Marc, the hair stylist, trim off some of Sebastian’s mahogany locks, I was contemplating on whether to get a trim myself or make the big chop and donate my hair.

“You have beautiful hair Vina!” Marc gushed, looking at me through the mirror while putting leave in product in Seb’s hair. “Have you ever thought about donating it?”

“I have actually donated it three times before!” I kindly explain “Each time I did it after graduating middle school, high school, and undergrad… it’s actually time for me to donate again!”

“Aww, but I love your long hair babe,” Sebastian pouted, his blue eyes pleading mine to not cut it.

“I know Seb, but it is getting annoying to maintain it lately,” I say, running my fingers through my navel length hair. “And it’s getting warmer too..”

“I’ll never tell you what to do with your hair, or your body for that matter,” Seb assures me “but it’s just that I’ll miss your hair.”

“Aww Sebastian!” I smile, my heart soaring at his honest confession “It’s just hair babe, it’ll grow back!”

“So does this mean you’ll donate your hair today?” Marc excitedly asks me.

“I guess it does!” I say switching places with Sebastian and sitting in the chair.

“How short are you thinking of going?” Marc asks “Pixie length, bob..?”

“Hmm, I want my hair short enough to be low maintenance but not too short where I can’t put it into a ponytail, if that makes sense?” I say, looking at Marc.

“I completely get it!” Marc enthuses “I think you could rock a shoulder length bob!”

“I love it!” I gush back “Let’s do it!” Marc begins brushing my long hair and sections it into low ponytails sitting an inch below my shoulders. He has to section my hair into two because my hair is so thick.

“Who ever gets your hair is gonna be one lucky girl indeed!” Marc laughs, grabbing his cutting scissors “Do you wanna make the first cut Sebastian?”

“Huh, me?” Sebastian asks in surprise, looking at me and Marc. “Are you sure, I don’t wanna mess up..”

“Oh honey, you won’t!” Marc assures him, handing over the scissors. “Just cut across and above the hair tie!”

“You can do it, Seb!” I smile at him through the mirror, happily giving my consent. He nods nervously at me and begins to cut.

“Geez, I knew your hair was thick, but I didn’t know exactly how thick until _now_!” he says as the scissors make it halfway through.

“Thanks, I guess?” I chuckle. When Sebastian finishes, it literally feels like half of my head is lighter. I turn to look at Sebastian, who is looking quite proud that she just chopped off half of my hair.

“This has got to be at least a foot long!” Sebastian says as he plays with the hair.

“I’ll measure it when I’m done!” Marc explains, as he quickly slices off the second ponytail and starts to even out my shoulder length bob. Ten minutes later, I’m looking at myself in the mirror, my hair reaching my shoulders, and feeling fierce as hell. I can tell that Sebastian approves because of the lingering stare he gives me.

“You are now officially 18 inches lighter!” Marc proudly announces to me and Sebastian. “We’ll send it in for you! Which organization would you like to donate it to?”

“Children With Hair Loss,” I say, signing the form. “Thanks again Marc, I’m in love with it and I think Seb is too!” We pay for our visit and begin to walk back home.

“Do you like my new hair Seb?” I ask my boyfriend, with a curious look in my eye. He stops walking, pulls on my hand, causing me to turn around to face him.

“I love it!” Sebastian smiles, settling his hands on my waist, leaning his face down to mine “Don’t get me wrong, I love your long hair but seeing you with short hair does things to me.. Seeing your bare neck and collarbones is so _sexy_!”

“I’m glad!” I chuckle, coming up for a quick kiss and taking his hand in mine. “Let’s go! We have to pick up the food for tomorrow’s dinner!”

 

**Dinner with the parents..**

I hum to myself as I placed the blueberry empanadas in the second oven. One of my favorite things about Sebastian’s apartment is the kitchen because all the appliances are new and stainless steel and there is two ovens! Frida is lounging on her dog bed, lazily observing me. I hear the keys jingle at the front door and hear Sebastian’s steps as he enters, closing the door.

“I’m back Vi!” Sebastian calls out as he makes his way across the living room, carrying a pint of ice cream and a bag of wine. “I got the ice cream you asked for and I also picked up some wine.”

“Great, thanks!” I say as Sebastian puts the ice cream in the freezer and the two bottles of wine on the counter.

“It’s my pleasure,” Sebastian sighs as he comes up behind me, pressing his warm body to my back, his hands lingering up and down my sides.

“No, no Sebastian!” I giggle, trying to squirm out of his heated touch. “Our parent’s are gonna be here soon and I still have to change!”

“Can’t I just get one kiss?” Sebastian responds, his soft lips placing kisses on the back of my neck. Dear god, this man. Ever since I donated my hair, Sebastian has been extremely flirty and touchy with me and I did not mind at all.

“Uh, fine!” I say, feigning slight annoyance and turning around to kiss him. “Better now?”

“Much!” he smiles stepping back, leaning back to place his hands on the island counter. “Is there anything else I can help with? How is the chicken?”

“The chicken is in the oven roasting!” I chime back; Sebastian made the marinade last night and marinated the chicken, he is anxious to see how it’ll turn out. “I mean there’s nothing much left to do, the food is ready. The table still needs to be set though!”

“Okay, I’m on it!” Sebastian says as he grabs the plates from the kitchen cabinet.

“Gracias!” I say as I make my way out of the kitchen and up the stairs “Oh wait, when the timer goes off, can you take the empanadas out of the oven?”

“Yes!” Sebastian calls out “I knew you made empanadas, I’d know that aroma anywhere!”

I make my way into our bathroom to take a quick shower. The time it takes me to get ready has been cut in half to about 25 minutes, thanks to my new hair. The new lob allows me to comb and air dry. I pair my black and white printed blouse with my burgundy red knee length skirt and tan flats. As I exit the room and make my way down the stairs, I can hear Sebastian talking to his mom in the kitchen.

“Buna Vina!” Clara smiles as I enter the room and gives me a warm hug.

“Buna Clara!” I greet back, returning the hug. “How are you liking your new apartment?”

“It’s different,” she says, taking a seat at the table as Sebastian and I set the food on the table. “But I love it so far!”

“That’s great!” I say as I am about to sit down but am interrupted by the doorbell “Oh, that’ll be my parents! Excuse me, I’ll be back!”

“Alright, dear!” she says as she asks Sebastian about the chicken he roasted. I open the door and excitedly greeted by my parents.

“Vina!!” my mom exclaims, giving me a hug “You look so good, you cut your hair!”

“Mom!” I smile back “I did! It was getting way too long!” I walk them over to the dining table and introduce them to Clara. They get along splendidly, my mother insisting they sit next to each other, leaving my dad to sit next to me and Sebastian at the head of the table. The food turned out deliciously and the conversation was lively. Our parents really bonded over their experiences moving to America and how my mom opened a cafe back home in Palo Alto. Clara was interested to know what it was like to raise three kids and somehow the conversation turned our last Thanksgiving.

“We would really love to have you over this Thanksgiving, Clara!” my mom kindly offers, causing my dad to nod agreeingly “You can even stay at the house, we have plenty of room!”

“Wow, that’s incredibly generous of you!” Clara smiles, looking at my parents “I would love to, but I don’t want to impose..”

“Nonsense,” my dad responds “You are so welcome to join us! If you don’t have plans of course!”

“Yes mom, come spend Thanksgiving with us!” Sebastian adds “The food will be fantastic and company will be fun!”

“Oh alright!” Clara laughs warmly “But only if you and Vina spend Christmas in Romania with me!”

“Ooh, I haven’t visited in awhile and I may have time to go this year,” Sebastian says and looks at me “what do you say Vi? You up for a Romanian adventure?”

“I would love that!” I say enthusiastically “I’d have to check my work schedule, but I should be able to go..”

“We might be traveling to Europe as well,” my mom says, noticing my questioning look. “Victor might be studying abroad in Italy next fall so we might go there and pick him up when his semester ends..”

“Ahh I see!” I nod excitedly. The remainder of dinner goes along splendidly, with the conversation moving to my marathon training and Sebastian’s preparation for his next Marvel film. During dessert, Clara is pleasantly surprised and gushes about the blueberry empanadas. She bonds with my mom over their shared passion for baking, causing my mom to invite her to the cafe when Clara spends Thanksgiving with us. After, my parents leave to meet up with a friend in Times Square. They leave with full stomachs and a new friend and warmly greet us goodbye.

“Well, I should get going too,” Clara announces, getting up from the dining table. “Dinner was delicious you too, and Vina I have no words on how to describe how great those empanadas tasted!”

“Wow, thank you!” I say shyly, looking up at Sebastian.

“Take that compliment babe, my mom doesn’t give out culinary praise often!” Sebastian laughed, leaning down to place a kiss on my head.

“He’s right you know!” Clara chuckled, grabbing her bag and walking towards the door. “Noapte buna!”

“Did we just host a successful meeting of the parents dinner?” I say incredulously once Clara leaves.

“I believe so,” Sebastian smiles “To be honest though, I had a feeling they would get along.”

 

_May 2018_

**~Sebastian’s POV~**

“Seb!” Vina calls out from our bathroom “I hope this isn’t too dressed down for a premiere!”

“It should be fine, babe!” I call out from my place on the couch downstairs, softly stroking Frida’s ears.

Tonight is the NYC premiere for Black Panther and I was attending to support Marvel (of course) and my friend, Chadwick. Tonight is also special because it marks mine and Vina’s first red carpet appearance together. Here I am, waiting patiently in my navy blue suit and black dress shirt for Vina. I hear her footsteps, her heels clack against the hardwood floor, and I look up to see my stunning girlfriend. I’m not gonna lie, Vina knew the balance of being classy _and_ sexy at the same time. As she made her way down the stairs, I admired her outfit that she chose for tonight. When I asked her to come for the premiere with me a week ago, I offered to buy her a dress for the event, but she kindly turned the offer down, saying she ‘might have something perfect’. And boy was she right. Vina chose to wear a black spaghetti strapped jumpsuit and nude strappy heels. Her toned legs were complemented by the pantsuit and her toned arms and back showed off by the top and her short hair, which she curled into soft waves.

“I hope this is alright,” Vina says flustered, looking down at her outfit “I got it from H&M and kept going back and forth between outfits..”

“You look gorgeous,” I say, interrupting her adorable rant by wrapping my arms around her and placing a kiss to her forehead, not want to ruin her makeup. “Let’s go, Balthasar is waiting for us downstairs.” And off we went, with my girlfriend next to me. I can’t wait to show her off to the world.

 

In the car, about to go on the red carpet..

“I’ll be right next to you the whole time,” I reassure her, as I get ready to get out of the car. The flashing lights and voices were booming.

“Okay,” Vina nervously smiles “As long as I don’t trip, we should be fine!”

“Even if you did,” I say as I step out of the car, holding my hand out to her “No one would notice, they would be too focused on your beauty.”

“Oh hush,” Vina laughs, taking my hand and getting out of the car. We walked through the walkway together, with my arm wrapped warmly around her waist keeping her snug by my side. Even among the bright, flashing lights and the loud shouts of the paparazzi, fighting to get a good shot, I was amazed about how calm Vina was with it all. I could faintly hear them calling my name, demanding my attention, but all I could do was look at my Vina, who was smiling politely for the cameras.

“You okay,” I whisper as I look down at her.

“Yes!” she softly laughs and points to the growing line of people behind us “Seb, I think they want us to keep moving.”

“Oh, alright!” I say embarrassingly, taking her hand and leading us forward. Finally focusing my attention to the cameras in front of us, I scan around and see a familiar face, who was calling me over for a quick interview. Not wanting Vina to leave my side, I lead us both over to him.

“Hey Sebastian!” the man from Collider greets me. “Have time for a couple of questions?”

“Hey man, it great to see you again!” I say, motioning to Vina. “Yes of course! This is my girlfriend Vina by the way!”

“This is great!” the interviewer says, “I actually have a couple of questions for you as well Vina”

“Nice to meet you!” Vina smiles “And really? I’ll try to answer as best as I can!”

“So first I have to get this out of the way,” the interviewer says “Sebastian are you in Black Panther?”

“Nah man, I’m just here to support!” I say slyly, not wanting to reveal that I do make a cameo in the film.

“We’ll see about that!” the man chuckles “I see you’ve bulked up a bit, is it safe to say that you’ll be reprising your role as Bucky soon?”

“Haha, I think that’s a fair assumption,” I happily reply “I actually do go back to filming in about a month!”

“Good to know!” the interviewer says “And Vina, fans want to know, is Sebastian as really dorky as he says?”

“Hahaha oh gosh,” Vina busts out laughing, taken aback by the question “Well, I am definitely proud to say that he is as much a dork as he says he is!”

“Hey now,” I playfully scold her “I can’t have my fans knowing that I’m a total dork, I have muscles!”

“Oh Meme Lord,” Vina looks at me “but you are and your fans know this to be true!”

“One last question,” the man says after laughing at mine and Vina’s playful exchange. “Vina, what advice do you have for young girls today?”

“Wow, that’s a good question!” Vina chimes, her eyes locking into the camera. ‘To all young girls everywhere: strive to learn more about your passions, treat everyone with kindness and respect, and don’t place your self worth in one person- be kind and love yourself!”

“Thanks again you too,” the man smiles, concluding our short interview “You guys look great together, enjoy the rest of the night!”

“Thanks again!” I smile and lead Vina inside the theater. Once we settle ourselves in our seats.

“That was some good advice you gave back there!” I say, turning to look at Vina.

“Thanks, he kind of put me on the spot there,” Vina kindly explains “So I just said what I would have wanted someone to say to me when I was younger.”

“I’m glad you’re here with me,” I happily sigh, taking her hand to my lips “You did so great out there, are you sure that was your first red carpet?”

“It really was!” Vina softly exclaims “All I could think about was getting across without tripping!”

“Haha well you made it through!” I chuckle “Better get used to it, Vi. There will be many more appearances..”

“Oh boy,” she jokingly sighs, looking at me “You mean I gotta do that again?!”

“You don’t _have_ to!” I laugh “But I love having you by my side and plus, we look good together, we wouldn’t want to deny people our presence!”

“Oh my god,” she exclaims in shock, chuckling “You did not just say that!”

“I’m kidding!” I smile back, giving her an assuring look. “But in all seriousness, you’re the best date ever!”

“You’re such a dork!” Vina chimes back, her hand grazing my cheek.

“Yes, but a dork that you love!” I say, giving her a quick peck on the lips as the lights dim down to start the film.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Visual inspiration for Chapter 13:  
> 1st&2nd images= Vina's work outfits  
> 3rd image= Vina's hair transformation (her hair is much longer than the before picture below, the ends reach her navel)  
> 4th image= Vina's outfit when their parents meet  
> 5th&6th images= Vina and Seb's looks for the Black Panther premiere
> 
> *Images from Pinterest


	14. The Time She Showed Him the Philippines

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vina and Sebastian explore the Philippines for 2 weeks in May 2018!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: There is light smut ahead. I felt like it's time to reveal Vina exploring her sexuality with Seb.. ;) Enjoy!

  _May 2018 (2 days before leaving for Philippines)_

**~Sebastian’s POV~**

“Are you sure you’re ready?” I ask hesitantly, as Vina walks out of our bathroom, fresh out of the shower, wearing just panties and one of my t-shirts. We had just gotten back from a long morning of running. Well, she went on a 15 mile run and I biked alongside to keep her company.

“I am ready whenever you’re ready!” She smiles at me as she lays on the bed, patting the spot next to her, beckoning me to join her.

“I don’t want to hurt you,” I sigh, sitting on the edge of the bed.

“Of course it’s gonna hurt at first,” Vina says as she lays on her stomach, stretching her legs out “but then it’ll feel _so good_.”

“I’ve never _really_ massaged a woman’s legs before,” I admit nervously “let alone a woman who happens to be a physical therapist _and_ a marathoner in training!”

“Oh hush, Seb!” my girlfriend chuckles, tucking her arms above her head and rests her forehead on them. “Come on now, you _promised_ to give me a massage earlier, when I was struggling this morning!”

“Ok first of all, you were not struggling at all- you beat me in those last two miles!” I exclaim “And second, I just said that to see if you were listening to me or if you were in the zone..”

“I was dying inside!” Vina volleys back, hang clutching her chest. “And I heard you by the way, so your plan backfired! And come on, I know you posted that video of me running to your Instagram..”

“What you saw that already?!” I say in surprise. I had posted a clip I recorded of her morning run and posted it to my IG with the caption “So hard to keep up when she’s in her element. #trainingruns”

“I saw it before I got in the shower,” she mumbles and kicks out her leg in an attempt to bring me closer to her “My legs really need to be massaged Seb and I couldn’t reach a spot with my foam roller..”

“Oh alright,” I happily sigh, giving in, and straddle myself above her legs. “Where’s the sore spot?”

“In my calves,” she responds “I’ll guide you through how to massage the right way!”

And she did, explaining the proper technique and the reason why to do a certain move before another. She taught me to add pressure on the muscle knots I felt, explaining to me that it would help loosen the knots. One of the many things I love about Vina is that she is so passionate about her job that she can explain even the most complicated concepts in a way that I could understand. Even though this interaction didn’t start out sexual at all, Vina moaned when my hands found a really tight spot, causing a spark of arousal in me.

“Alright, I think I’m done here,” I clear my throat, trying to shift myself to that my growing arousal won’t startle her “Is there anything else that needs to be massaged?”

“That felt _amazing_ ,” she softly chimes back “Actually, can you massage my butt?”

“HUH?!” I exclaim in utter shock, not really believing what she had asked.

“Haha, you heard me right,” she looked back at me, as if she read my mind “My right glute muscle, the piriformis, is also tight. Can you massage it?”

“Uhmm, sure,” I say as I scoot myself up forward, my hands softly grazing her butt. I’m not gonna lie, Vina has _gorgeous_ ass. It is perfectly shaped and strong. Thank god she loves running! “You’re gonna have to guide me here..”

“Hah, I figured!” she laughs aloud “First, take your elbow and press it down in the middle of my right glute.”

“Ok, got it,” I say, following her instruction “I think..”

“Yep, you got it,” Vina says “Next add pressure to it. Yep just like that.”

“Geez, it feels like I’m pressing on a small rubber ball,” I say incredulously.

“Yeah it’s just a muscle knot that needs to be relieved of the tension,” she explains “try moving your elbow in small circles, that should distributed the tension.” I followed her directions and started to get a little more confident in myself and my massage abilities.

“Sebastian, I actually do want to talk to you about something,” Vina looks at me as finish massaging her piriformis and she turns her body to lay down on her back.

“Sure, what’s up?” I respond looking down into her eyes, as I was still straddled above her upper thighs.

“I think I’m ready for more _sexually,_ ” she says back, mumbling the last word quietly.

“Oh, uhm are you sure?” I gently ask her, taking her hands in mine “You know I don’t mind waiting at all, right? I totally respect your decision to wait.”

“I’ve been thinking about it a lot lately,” she earnestly explains “and have noticed how naive I was back then to equate marriage to love. Now that I am older, I realize that marriage does not necessarily equal love and virginity is a social concept bred by the patriarchy to shame women for exploring their sexuality. You feel love when you find a person that you can share your passions and frustrations with. Love is when you trust someone wholeheartedly and can be yourself with.”

“I totally agree with you Vina,” I say, knowing that she has more to say.

“I guess what I am trying to say is that I am _completely_ in love with you, Sebastian Stan,” She confesses to me “I love that you respect me and my passions. I trust you completely and I truly am myself whenever we are together.”

“I feel the same way about you, Vi,” I happily sigh, as I lean my chest down to hers and pepper soft kisses to her neck.

“I feel ready to have sex, Sebastian,” Vina professes to me, moans of encouragement escaping her soft lips. Just as our lips are about to meet, my phone rings obnoxiously. I hope and pray that it goes straight to my voicemail, but it just keeps on ringing.

“Just answer it, Sebastian,” Vina sighs leaning herself to retrieve my phone from the side table. “It’s probably Eric, you better answer because he’ll just call me after..”

“Ugh, it is him,” I sigh, laying myself next to her “Sometimes his timing is just _impeccable_!” I say sarcastically.

“He probably just wants to go over your schedule before we leave for the Philippines this Wednesday,” Vina assures me, as she stands up from our bed. That’s the thing about Vina, is that she always assumes the best in people, even when they’re being annoying, like Eric is right now.

“True,” I say, answering my phone. “Hi Eric, what’s up?” I ask, longingly watching my girlfriend saunter out of our room and down the stairs.

“Nothing much, Seb!” Eric, my agent replies back “Good IG update by the way, your fans are responding well to you and Vina!”

“Then they truly are my fans,” I say. “Anyone else that thinks otherwise isn’t a fan of mine.”

“Very true,” Eric responds “Listen, I just want to go over your filming schedule before you and Vina leave this Wednesday..”

My schedule has stayed the same: I have to go back to Atlanta to shoot in the first week of June, make an appearance at SDCC in July, continue the shoot until the end of October. To sum up: I will be in Atlanta for four months while Vina is here in New York settling into her new job. I have a feeling that this trip will be exactly what we need before we go long distance again.

“Lastly, just enjoy yourself these next two weeks- you deserve it,” Eric concludes “spend as much time as you can with Vina and tell her I said hi!”

“Alright Eric, will do!” I say into the phone before I hang up “I’ll see you in Atlanta!”

I set my phone back on the side table, put on a t-shirt and gym shorts, and walk out of the bedroom. “Hey Vina, can we just stay in today? It is Sunday after all..” I call out.

When I reach the bottom of the stairs and look ahead, I am greeted to the sight of my girlfriend napping comfortably on the couch,softly snoring. Frida gets up from her dog bed nearby and starts to walk over to Vina, as if to wakes her.

“Hey now,” I whisper, gently stopping Frida in her tracks, softly petting her head “Your mama needs to sleep, she crushed her long run this morning!”

 

_On the plane, en route to Manila, Philippines_

**~Sebastian’s POV~**

“I don’t think we packed enough mosquito repellent,” Vina thinks aloud as we settle ourselves in our first class seats on the plane. This came as a total surprise to both of us, but I’m pretty sure Eris or my manager Emily upgraded our tickets.

“Don’t worry about me,” I assure her “Mosquitos absolutely _hate_ me!”

“I was talking about me!” my filipina goddess exasperated “I got around 35 bites on my legs last time I visited!”

“Oh I believe you,” I playfully smirk, my hand softly grazing her bare thigh. “Your body _does_ give off a sweet aroma..”

“Sebastian, not here!” Vina whispers in shock and slight embarrassment, a blush painting her full cheeks “We’re not alone, you know!” she slaps my hand away.

“Oh I know, dragă mea,” I deeply say as I lean my lips down to her ear “but that won’t stop me from showing how much I love you!” I softly growl, nipping her neck. She turns to look at me, attempting to look mortified but her brown eyes say the opposite. Her round brown eyes stare into my baby blues with a fire of arousal.

“Okay,” she says as she bends down to retrieve a notebook from her purse, ignoring my last comment. “I’m still feeling a little sad that we had to leave Frida home…”

“Don’t worry, she’ll be fine,” I add, leaning back into my seat “She loves my mom and she wouldn’t love the humidity of the Philippines.”

“True,” Vina says as she turns to look at me expectantly “You ready to go over the basic Tagalog phrases?” Ever since Vina moved in, she has been teaching me some phrases in her native language.

“Gosh, I hope so,” I gulp, turning my body to face her.

“Ok, how do you say Good morning?” she asks.

“Magandang umaga!” I reply “or Magandang umaga po, when addressing an elder.”

“Perfect, what about good afternoon? Just the informal version”

“Magandang hapon”

“Nice, good evening?”

“Magandang gabi!”

“Good job, Seb! How about hello?”

“Kamusta or Mabuhay!”

“Goodbye?”

“Paálam,” I say, giving her a questioning look “Did I say that right?”

“Yes,” she smiles “Oh, I forgot to teach you to say ‘my name is’?”

“Hmm, how do you say it?” I ask curiously.

“Ang pangalan ko ay.. And then your name,” she says.

“Woah, can you repeat it slower please?” I ask, wanting to get my pronunciation correct. She does and we work on it for a good half hour. After, Vina reads over her physical therapy journals and I fall asleep, getting in as much rest as I can on this fourteen hour flight.

_At her aunt’s condo in Global City (Manila)_

**~Vina’s POV~**

We have finally touched down in the Philippines! They plane ride over was calm, except for the fact that Sebastian was being very playful with me. On a side note, he’s been like that ever since I told him I was ready for more but I do not mind. Not one bit. We have been staying in my aunt’s condo in Global City for the past three days, keeping to ourselves due to jet lag. So far I have taken Sebastian out to see the various night markets and have had him try the local cuisine. He genuinely seems to be enjoying himself, it’s been a while since I have seen him so relaxed and at ease. Of the many foods I had him try, his favorites are sisig, a sizzling pork dish with chili peppers and calamansi, and rambutan, one of the many tropical fruits native to the Philippines.

On the agenda for today is to have lunch with some relatives on my mom’s side of the family at the new waterfall restaurant in Quezon City. This restaurant sits at the foot of a waterfall, the tables sit in the water and you soak your feet in while eating. Both Sebastian and I are very excited to visit this restaurant. We are also stopping by the pediatric department of St. Jude’s Hospital. My aunt (who owns this condo) heads the department and asked us to come visit her and her patients for the rest of the afternoon. I asked Sebastian and he immediately agreed to, saying that it would make him happy to see the children happy, even if for a little while.

 

It is currently 10:30 am and I am still laying in bed with Sebastian behind me, his left arm draped over my waist and his legs tangled in between mine. Because of the humidity and his fast metabolism, Sebastian has been sleeping in the nude to air out heat his body emits. I am not. I am wearing panties and a thin tank top. The thin bedsheet acts as a barrier between my clothed body and Seb’s unclothed one. I had gotten used to sleeping next to Sebastian and his body heat, but because we are in the Philippines and it is just naturally very humid, my body is starting to sweat profusely. I wriggled myself out of my boyfriend’s embrace and take off my tank top because it is just too hot. As I lay on my back, moving the sheet off of my body my phone rings, signalling a call from my cousin, Jaslene. Not wanting to wake up the sleeping Sebastian, I answer the call immediately.

“Kamusta na Jaslene?” I greet in a soft voice.

“We’re excited to have lunch with you and Sebastian,” my dear cousin exclaims “You _are_ still coming right? You weren’t at the market this morning, like you said..”

“Hay nako!” I exclaim, suddenly remembering that we had promised to go with her this morning. Seb’s hand softly trails up from my waist to the underside of my left breast and I look over to see him wide awake, with a playful smirk in his eyes. “I am so sorry Jaslene, I overslept. I’m still a little jetlagged!”

“Haha no worries, Vi! I figured!” my cousin says, continuing to tell her story about meeting a cute guy in the market. She has absolutely no idea what’s going on on my end, with Sebastian playing with my breasts.

“It’s good I overslept then,” I chuckle and am taken aback when Sebastian presses his lips to my breast, taking in my nipple in his warm mouth. “Listen Jaslene, I’ll see you soon! Sebastian and I have to get ready now if we wanna beat traffic,” I say quickly, biting back a moan.

“See you soon!” Jaslene chimes back and I hang up my phone, toss it to the side and clutch Seb’s long locks, moaning in agony.

“Oh my god,” I cry out as Seb’s lips move to the other side, granting the same attention to my right breast. “You are a menace..”

“And you taste _so good_ ,” he murmurs, lifting his head up, his eyes shining up at me. “Good morning, gorgeous!”

“Good morning, pretty,” I smile, lazily stroking his clean shaven face, which is gloriously framed by the mahogany tendrils that have escaped from his small bun.

“I thought I was sexy?” Sebastian pouts, giving me his best puppy dog eyes.

“You know you are,” I roll my eyes “but right now you are just so adorable!” I pinch his nose.

“Damn straight,” he quips, his hand gently pinching my bare waist.

“Ay!” I yelp, pull away from him by turning my body to the right and get off the bed “As much as I want to stay in bed, we gotta get ready!”

“Waterfall restaurant _and_ a visit with the children!” Sebastian happily declares, his smile reaching his eyes “Today is gonna be a great day!”

How this man can go from being a Romanian sex god to an adorable child is beyond me, but I wouldn’t have it any other way!

 

_2 hours later at the waterfall restaurant.._

**~Vina’s POV~**

**“** Delicious food, great company, and good vibes all around!” I think happily to myself, observing the lively atmosphere around me. Sebastian is in deep conversation with my uncle about the history of Quezon City while I listen to my aunt recall how she met my uncle..

“As soon as I finished dancing the tinikling, I look up and the first thing I see is your uncle with a mesmerized look on his face!” my aunt Cora smiles fondly, wrapping her arm around her dear husband.

“Ano?” my uncle Bonifacio asks, as the conversation between him and Sebastian ends.

“Oh Tito Boni, Tita was just telling us of the day you guys met!” I call out, smiling at Sebastian.

“What is tinikling?” Sebastian asks curiously.

“It’s a traditional Philippine dance that involves two people beating, tapping, and sliding a pair of bamboo poles while the dancers have to weave in, out, and between them!” Jaslene explains.

“It sounds fun but dangerous,” Sebastian replies “Have you danced tinikling Vina?”

“I have,” I beam, sipping on my calamansi juice “I haven’t danced in a while though..”

“Bro, it’s only dangerous if you have bad coordination!” my cousin Marco laughs aloud.

“Anyway, as I was saying,” Tita Cora chimes back in “When I saw Bonifacio’s face, I knew that I had found the one!”

“And I did to, my dear!” Tito Boni smiles, kissing his wife’s hand, causing cheers of cuteness from the table. “It’s also a tradition for the bride to perform tinikling at her wedding..”

“Oh really??” Sebastian asks, smiling brightly at me.

“Don’t worry,” I say playfully “You’ll see me do it! And no we aren’t engaged!” I say, noticing the knowing glances from my aunt and uncle.

“Not yet..” Jaslene and Marco say in unison, causing the whole table to laugh.

“So what do you have planned for the rest of your trip next week?” Tito Boni asks, moving on to another topic.

“Well, we’re flying to Dumaguete to visit my family on my dad’s side,” I explain “We’ll spend the day at Manjuyod Sandbar with them.”

“Then Vina and I are island hopping to Cebu and Palawan!” Sebastian adds, concluding our trip itinerary.

“That sounds amazing, I wish I could go but I have school!” Jaslene responds.

“We’ll go next time na lang!” I assure her.

 

_Family day trip to Manjuyod Sandbar_

**~Vina’s POV~**

After our successful visit to the pediatrics department at St. Jude’s, Sebastian and I packed our bags and got on a flight to Dumaguete to kickoff our second week of the trip. At the airport, we were welcomed by all three of my dad’s siblings and their children, my cousins. I was a little worried that Sebastian might be intimidated by the amount of new family members but he charmed them all with the phrases I taught him to say in Tagalog. For the first two days, we stayed with at my Tita Rosie’s house and Sebastian got to know more about my family by helping us cook and drinking with my uncles. He also got a taste of culture by stumbling upon a pickup game of _sepak takraw_ (kick volleyball) when he was out with my male cousins. “It’s like karate mixed with volleyball!” he said in amazement when they arrived in the house. My cousins found his excitement highly amusing. I found it adorable.

 

We are now spending our last day with my dad’s side of the family on our own cabana out on the Manjuyod Sandbar. Well, not all of my dad’s side; one uncle and his family were the only ones that could go today as the rest of the family had work or school. We are the only people here, the water is a gorgeous turquoise blue, and my nieces and nephews are playing in the water with Sebastian and my brother in law, Phillip. We had originally planned to come early enough to see the sand before the tide came but the kids slept in late. My Tito Tony and Tita Lina are napping on the bamboo weaved hammock. I am sunbathing on the loading platform below the hut with my cousins Hana and Josie. Hana is married to Phillip and they have 3 year old identical twin boys, James and Jason. Josie is here with her kids Tolo and Elena, her husband was called into work today.

“Ang puti si Sebastian,” Josie laughs aloud as we watch her kids chicken fighting, sitting atop the shoulders of Sebastian and their uncle Philip.

“Well, he is from Romania..” Hana chuckles “Isn’t that where Dracula is from?”

“You guys! Yes, vampires are from Romania,” I exclaim, sitting up to make my point “Seb’s actually not that pale anymore, he tans easily and we’ve only been here a couple of hours.”

“Joking joking lang!” Josie laughs and calls out to our nephews “James and Jason! Swim over to Tita please, we don’t want you squashed by your cousins!”

“Yes tita!” the boys call out, swimming over to us. Nine year old Tolo and seven year old Elena follow soon after and climb up to the hut to take a snack break.

“Uh oh,” I say looking over and seeing Sebastian and Phillip standing next to each other and talking quietly. “They are  definitely up to something, Han look!”

“I know that face, anywhere,” Hana says noticing her husband’s smirk. Sebastian also has that smirk on his face as well.

“Your turn!” Philip calls out, waving Hana and I over “Chicken fight for the next couple to nap  on the hammock!”

“Come on Vi,” Sebastian hollers “I know that you want to be next on the hammock!”

“Should we-,” I turn around to ask Hana if she is game but she’s already swimming over to Philip. “Ah shit” I think to myself as I swim over to Sebastian.

“Don’t get any ideas Seb,” I scold, noticing the look of lust on his face as I wrap my arms around his neck, my white bikini clad body pressed against his bare back. “I’m only doing this for the hammock.”

“I am too, Vina!” my boyfriend laughs before he goes underwater so I can hoist myself up on his shoulders.

“You girls ready?” Philip asks us, with Hana on his shoulders.

“I am ready as I’ll ever be,” I say and with that the men stalk closer to each other and taunt each other. Although Hana and I were the ones in the air, the competition was more for the guys. We heard cheers from our cabana since the children were watching with rapt attention; the twins cheering for their mom and dad. As Hana turns around to look at them, she loses her balance and falls in the water, ending the game.

“Looks like we’re going on the hammock next!” I laugh as cling on to Sebastian’s back, since he’s already swimming over to the cabana.

“I knew we’d win!” Sebastian says from behind me as we’re climbing the ladder up to the cabana.

“Normally, I’d be willing to do a rematch,” I say as I walk over to the hammock “but this is just too good to pass up!"

 

 

_ Last day at Coron, Palawan _

**~Sebastian’s POV~**

Our trip to the Philippines has been beyond amazing! I’ve gotten to meet Vina’s family and immerse myself in Philippine culture, discovering new favorite foods. What is really awesome is seeing a different side of Vina. Seeing her uninhibited from work and marathon training is such a pleasant change. If I had first met her on this trip, I really would have thought that she was born here! Vina also got me to do things that I never imagined myself doing. Like swimming with whale sharks for example. Two days ago, we visited the island Cebu and swam with whale sharks. I was skeptical at first because I had really thought that whale sharks are carnivorous but Vina assured me by explaining that they’re filter feeders, only eating plankton and other microorganisms. She even offered to go in the water first- she was really excited to do so. I finally gave in and joined her, admiring the beauty and vastness of these gentle giants. 

 

We are celebrating our last day of our visit by spending time together on Coron Island of Palawan. We lucked out on getting a hut to ourselves on the very secluded island. The next hut is located across the island, half a mile away from us. I am so glad that I brought my Leica with me on this trip and have gotten some stunning shots of the landscape and of my girlfriend. Vina is sitting at the end of the canoe canoe that we’re on and I am sitting in the middle, taking pictures and relaxing.

“Hey, don’t move,” I call out to her when she turns to look at me “this shot is perfect!”

“It’s because I’m in it!” she smiles, as she stands and balances herself, and dives into the water. Vina really doesn’t realize the effect she has on me, I think to myself as I feel a warmth of arousal brewing in my stomach.

“Where are you going?” I ask, noticing her pull herself up from the lagoon, and start to climb the side of the cliff.

“Jump the cliff,” she calls out nonchalantly “Make sure you get this shot!”

“Alright, be careful!” I yell, getting my camera ready. She jumps off the cliff and into the lagoon and I take the picture. Vina comes up to the surface and swims towards me. As she gets closer, I notice that she is clutching something in her hands and realize that she’s holding on to her bikini top.

“You alright?” I ask her, trying my best to avert my eyes away from her bare chest “I, uh, got the shot..”

“I am feeling just fine,” she smiles, noticing my awkwardness “My top fell off when I hit the water.. It’s okay Sebastian, you can look. It’s just us!”

“I’m trying to be a gentleman over here!” I laugh, looking down at her as I lean in for a kiss but she pulls away fast and starts to swim over our hut.

“You’re gonna have to work for it, babe!” she teases me as she climbs up and runs over inside to the hut. That’s it, my arousal is fully blown and I paddle as fast as I can, without getting my camera wet, to catch my teasing girlfriend.

 

_ In the hut.. _

**~Vina’s POV~**

Throwing my bikini top aside, I start to turn my body around to look for Sebastian but feel a pair of strong, warm arms wrap around my waist.

“Gotcha!” Seb growls lowly, turning me around to that I can see the lust deepen his ocean blue eyes. He hoists me up, his hands wrapping my legs around his waist, and walks us over to the bed.

“You’re. Such. a. Tease,” he says, his hungry words emphasized by his lips raining kisses all over my body. 

“Hmmm,” I moan appreciatively as he gently lays me down on the bed, his hands slowly roaming over every inch of my body, igniting warm swirls of pleasure from deep in my core. 

“I’m gonna go slow, baby,” Sebastian murmurs as he starts a downward trail of kisses from my breasts to my stomach “I wanna remember every inch of your delicious body..”

“Ohh god,” I cry out as his tongue dips in my navel and slowly swirling around, my hips involuntarily buck up against his chest, making contact with his smattering of chest hair.

“My name is Sebastian babe,” Seb smirks up at me, setting his hands on either side of my hips, playing with the edges of my bikini. “Soon baby, I wanna  _ worship  _ you”

“Sebastian!” I say half in frustration and half in plea as my hands lightly tug on his hair, silently begging for more, as he slowly pulls my bikini down my legs. Once I am completely naked and bare for him, he looks down at me in awe, he has just found a new wonder of the world.

“I know I’ve said this before and I’ll continue to say it,” Sebastian says as he lays on his stomach, settling himself between my legs “you are truly stunning Vina”

“Thank you Seba-oohhh,” I cry out as he trails his burning kisses on each of my inner thighs, his scruffy cheeks leaving an upward trail of light scratches, getting dangerously close to where I  _ need  _ him to be.

“And you are so  _ wet _ ,” Sebastian says in awe as his index finger slides up my glistening lower lips. “Are you always this wet?”

“I uhh,” I say trying my best to form coherent words and whine silently in frustration when he stops his actions and looks up at me, waiting for my answer. “Only for you,” I admit honestly, looking down at him. This seems to plead him as I am rewarded with his sinful tongue finally swiping over my clit and his fingers explore my womanhood.

“I love that you are so responsive,” Sebastian hums in approval, sending vibrations to my core “and I adore this!” he says as his fingers gently tug at my groomed pubic hair. Sebastian grabs a hold on both of my legs, throwing them over his shoulders, and dives into my wetness, suckling on my clit and his fingers massaging around my entrance, adding just the right amount of pressure.

“Ahhhh, OH MY GOD!” I cry out loudly as he slowly slides his middle finger in my wet channel, throwing my hands in his hair to keep him from stopping.

“You’re so fucking wet and  _ tight _ ,” he hums in approval and looks up at me with my head thrown back against the pillows, my back arching in pleasure. I buck my hips up at him, wanting more and he notices and gently slides another finger in.

“Just relax Vina,” he softly assures me, placing kisses on my inner thigh, noticing my tension. I trust him, relaxing my inner muscles and am rewarded with a burst of pleasure when my body accepts his fingers. Sebastian takes notice and starts to move his fingers along my inner walls, exploring uncharted territory.

“Right there Sebastian!” I moan unashamedly, my body in complete rapture as his fingers bump against the ribbed spot in my wall. “Keep doing that..”

“Oh you’re so close baby,” Seb moans aloud, quickening the pace of his fingers and his lips find my engorged clit, wanting the attention again “Just let go, I’ll be here!”

“Hnng, oh my god! SEBASTIAN!” I scream in pleasure, my back arching off the bed, my eyes shut tightly as my body reaches the complete state of total and utter bliss. I have never come so hard in my life and this man just used his skillful tongue and fingers. My body goes limp and I am breathing heavily, not able to form coherent sentences just yet.

“I told you I’d worship your body!” Sebastian exclaims proudly, laying next to me. “You’re so sexy when  you come apart like that!”

“Oh my god, I never knew I could come like that..” I say a yawn escaping me “I can take care of you too” I murmur as I trail my hand slowly down his chest, my fingers playing with the edge of his swim trunks. Instead, he talks my hand and brings it up to his lips to kiss it.

“As much as I would love that,” Sebastian yawns, pulling me snug to his side “I think we are in need of a nap, you completely tire me out!”

“I love you Sebastian,” I say, leaning into his body, behind me

“Mahal kita, Vina”

 

Visual Inspiration for this chapter:  
1st image= Restaurant in Quezon City  
2nd image= Manjuyod Sandbar  
3rd image= swimming with whale sharks in Cebu  
4th image= visiting Coron, Palawan

_Images from Pinterest_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eeep! *blushes furiously* I consider this my first real attempt at smut. Please let me know what you think and be honest (I'm a big girl, I can handle it!) I know I haven't been the most consistent, but I really appreciate the kudos and comments you leave. It genuinely makes my day, so thank you!


	15. One Year Pt.1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> June 2018: Vina officially starts working as a physical therapist and settles into NY living. Sebastian begins his 4 month shoot in Atlanta. They celebrate one year together!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Smut ahead! This chapter is a little shorter than previous chapters but I split it into two parts! Enjoy ;)
> 
> Musical inspiration, songs I listened to when writing this chapter:  
> Best of My Love- The Emotions  
> Something New- Zendaya  
> Body- Dreezy  
> Sexy Can I- Ray J

  _June 15, 2018_

**~Sebastian’s POV~**

“And cut!” Joe Russo yells out from his director’s chair. “Seb and Mackie, that sequence was perfect! We’ll move on to the other scene after lunch.”

“Oh thank god!” Mackie sighs in relief “I’m _starving_! Grabbing lunch at the cantina?”

“I guess so, since RDJ didn’t invite us for lunch..” I say, both of us walking over to the cantina on set. When we enter inside, Scarlett, Zoe, and Chris Pratt are sitting at the table about to eat lunch. Like me and Mackie, they are all still in costume.

“Wiener Soldier! Have lunch with us, I wanna hear all about your trip to the Philippines!” Zoe calls out. I nod in agreement as Mackie and I get in the food line. Today, I settle on grilled chicken and vegetables. Pretty exciting, I know.

“So your tan totally makes sense now,” Scarlett observes as I settle in my seat, digging into my food. “How was your trip?”

“Yeah, man how long did you guys stay there?” Pratt asks.

“And how come I wasn’t invited?” Mackie asks, feigning hurt on his face.

“Woah, woah! What’s with the inquisition?” I laugh aloud “Our visit was really fun! We stayed for two weeks, visited Vina’s family, and went island hopping. And next time!” I look at Falcon.

“Que bueno!” Zoe smiles. “Do anything fun?”

“Hah, well Vina got me to swim with whale sharks actually..” I say, earning looks of curiosity from my costars. I continue to tell them about my encounter with the gentle giants.

“Speaking of Vina,” Mackie says, noticing the ringing of my phone on the table. “Looks like she wants to FaceTime!” and with that he quickly grabs my phone and answers before I can. “Hola Vina, como esta?”

“Hahaha Bien, Falcon,” Vina chuckles “Y tu, como esta?”

“Muy bien!” Mackie smiles, wiggling his eyebrows, switching to the back camera and pointing it around the table.

“Hi everyone!” Vina calls out waving out to them.

“Hi Vina!” Zoe and Scarlett greet back.

“Come here! Seb won’t stop talking about you!” Pratt says, snickering.

“Yeah, would you please visit to shut him up!” Mackie whines jokingly, before I finally snatch my phone from his hands.

“Is this true?” Vina asks, as I finally get to look at her adorable face.

“Somewhat,” I say, gathering my now empty plate. “I’ll be in my trailer guys!”

“Okay, bye Vina!” they all call out and she also says goodbye. I walk over to my trailer as Vina recalls her short visit back to Pasadena to attend her brother’s graduation from CalTech.

“So everyone’s moving: Vince is moving to Boston and Asia and Geo are moving to LA,” my girlfriend informs me. “Victor is studying abroad in Italy this fall!”

Even though it’s only been two weeks since I left for Atlanta, I miss her more and more everyday. What makes me sad is that today is our one year anniversary and we can’t celebrate together. Of course, Vina knew this before I left and even reassured me, saying that our vacation was our celebration.

“That’s great,” I smile, noticing that she’s still at work since she’s in her scrubs and hair braided away from her face. “How’s work? Now that you’re officially working as a PT..”

“Work is going great! I actually have a patient that is Filipino and I told her all about our vacation,” Vina smiles brightly. “Thank you for the orchids, Seb. They’re beautiful, you didn’t have to send them”

“But I wanted too!” I say. “I’m glad you like them! I still feel sad that I can’t be there..”

“Oh babe, don’t feel sad!” Vina chimes “Be happy, we’re celebrating one year! And it’s been a great year!”

“It really has,” I sigh happily, reminiscing all the wonderful moments of our relationship. “I love you Vina!”

“And I love you, mi amor!” Vina beams brightly. “Listen, my lunch break is about to end..”

“And you got patients to see,” I conclude for her, with a playful smirk “I understand, I’ll call you tonight?”

“Looking forward to it,” She smirks back, blowing kisses to me before she ends the call. As I am about to head out of my trailer, Mackie barges in.

“Dude, they’re giving us all three days off!” he yells excitedly.

“What, are you serious?” I say shocked “You better not be messing with me!”

“I’m dead serious,” Mackie explains “Apparently they need to redo one of the sets and it’ll take three days.”

“I’m going back home!” I announce as I gather my bags.

“Hah, well you gotta get out of your costume first,” Mackie gestures to my suit “Wardrobe is gonna go postal when they find that your costume is missing.”

“True,” I call out to him as he exits my trailer and begin changing into normal people clothes of jeans, a t-shirt, and my blue cap. As I head out of the studio, I call my assistant, Gigi, to book me a flight to New York so I can be with my girl for the next three days. I purposely don’t tell her about my homecoming to surprise her. I’m a romantic guy, what can I say.

_Later that early evening.._

Gigi was able to book me a flight, despite how last minute it was. I don’t know the exact details of how she was able to snag that flight, but have a feeling that my name and Marvel projects did the trick. In cases like these, ignorance really is bliss. With my suitcase in one hand and my keys in the other, I open the front door excited to see Vina’s reaction. When I enter, the song “Best of My Love’ by The Emotions is playing on the bluetooth speakers and I hear a commotion in the kitchen.

“Put those down Max,” Vina softly calls out. _Who is Max?_ I think to myself, gently setting my suitcase near the door. I kick off my sneakers, pad over to the kitchen, and come to see my girlfriend squatting down towards the floor, talking to someone whose presence is blocked by the kitchen island.

“Surprise!” I smile, startling my girlfriend as she yelps aloud, jumping to stand. “Who is Max?”

“Sebastian!” Vina smiles, bending down to carry an adorable three year old boy, hitching him on her hip and walks over to me, with Frida following behind her. “This is Max, Callie’s little one!”

“Hiya Max,” I say softly and smiling at him.

“Hiiii Sebassschen!” the curly auburn haired toddler waved at me, warming my heart.

“He’s absolutely adorable!” I say, admiring how beautiful Vina looked, holding him in her arms.

“He is,” Vina happily replies, “I’m sorry, if this makes you uncomfortable but Callie finally has a night off and I offered to babysit Max.. so she can enjoy her night off with her husband, Alec..”

“Vi, it doesn’t make me uncomfortable at all!” I assured her, wrapping my arm around her shoulders “And that’s really nice of you to do! Is Max staying with us overnight?”

“Nope, Callie and Alec will stop by to pick him up at 10:30 tonight,” Vina says, noticing how quiet Max got “Looks like he’s ready for his nap, I’ll let him sleep in our room, if that’s okay with you..?.”

“Totally fine, although you don’t need to ask me babe,” I smile down at her “It’s your bed too, you know!”

“I know,” she beamed back, carefully making her way up the stairs to not wake up little Max. “Can you take the pizza out of the oven? It should be ready now..”

I give her a thumbs up and walk over to the kitchen, putting on the oven mitts, and am welcomed to the warm pesto aroma when I open the oven. Placing the pizza on the table, I grab two plates from the kitchen cabinet. Frida hovers around me as I do this, begging for some attention.

“Hello Frida,” I say bending over to stroke her ears. “Miss me?”

“I missed you more,” Vina answers, making her way over to me. I look at her longingly, finally getting to see her for the first time in person. She’s dressed down in ripped jeans and one of my shirts and her braids are still kept from today.

“That’s debatable!” I happily sigh in her neck as she throws her arms around me. My hands wander all over her body, softly traveling from the sides of her waist to her hips.

“Happy anniversary!” she beams, her right hand cupping my cheek as she tiptoes to bring her face closer to mine.

“Happy anniversary, indeed,” I softly whisper before meeting her halfway and placing my lips on her soft, luscious lips. She sighs in content, opening her mouth to allow my tongue to explore the sweet taste of her. Just as our kiss was reaching the gates of fiery passion, Vina’s stomach growled loudly, causing us to pull apart and laugh.

“Pizza and Netflix?” my girlfriend asks, with hope glimmering in her eyes.

“As if that’s even a question!” I quip, already bringing the pizza to the coffee table in our living room. She follows me, bringing our plates and I turn on the TV, selecting the Netflix icon. We settle on watching the show, Stranger Things, and cuddle on the couch, devouring the whole pizza. Frida settles herself on her dog bed and falls asleep as the opening sequence plays out on the screen.

 

We almost got through two episodes before Max called out to us crying because of a nightmare he had. Both Vina and I ran upstairs to our room to console and comfort him. Vina had gotten Max to calm down by cuddling next to him on the bed and singing an impromptu song about beating the imaginary monster in a race. She even got me singing, which Max took well as he was laughing hysterically. Not too long after, our singing session is interrupted by the ringing of the doorbell

“Looks like your mommy and daddy are here Max!” Vina exclaims, picking him up “Should we go see if it’s them, bud?” Max nodded rapidly and we all made our way downstairs to the front door.

“Wow, if I didn’t know you guys,” Alec says, noticing his son in Vina’s arms and me standing close to her side, my arm tucked around her waist. “I would think that Max is your son!”

“Seriously, you guys look like you can be on the cover of Parents Magazine!” Callie nods in agreement, causing both me and Vina to blush. “How was he?”

“He was perfect!” Vina smiles, handing Max over to his mom. “He did have a nightmare from his nap..”

“But it was solved by some singing!” I say, smiling at Max.

“Sebasssschen can sing!” Max giggled, snuggling up next to his mom.

“He tries his best!” Vina chuckles, mocking a side eye as if to tease me to which I responds by sticking my tongue out.

“Alright, we’ll get out of your hair,” Callie says, smirking “Let you cool kids, enjoy your anniversary!

“Yep, thanks for everything!” Alec smiles at us “Happy Anniversary!”

“Bye byeee Vina!” Max waves, calling out from his mom’s arms “Bye Sebasssschen!”

“Bye Max!” Vina and I wave in unison as they leave.

 

As soon as we close the door, I bring Vina close to my body and wrap her legs around my waist. This took Vina by surprise because she threw her arms around my neck, making sure she wouldn’t fall and unintentionally bringing her body closer to mine.

“Why hello there!” she giggled, looking at me.

“Do you have any idea how stunning you look when you work with kids?” I growl lowly, my lips nipping her neck.

“No,” she sighs into my kisses “but I have a pretty good idea..” she moans out, grinding her hips to my growing arousal concealed underneath my jeans, which was now beginning to feel uncomfortable. “Take me to our bed, Sebastian.”

And I didn’t need to be told twice. I carried her in my arms, my hands resting on her round backside. While Vina was pressing teasing kisses to my neck, my erection grew even more because her hips would grind up against it each step I took. I finally reached our room and gently laid my girl on the bed, getting on my knees and bending over so that my torso laid against her legs and my lips could worship her stomach.

“I missed you so much, Vina!” I sigh as my hands slip underneath her shirt, fondling her bra covered breasts.

“Ahhh I missed you too baby,” Vina sighs, throwing her head back in pleasure. My hands descend down her body, softly trailing down the sides of her waist, making her shiver in awe. My fingers deftly find the waistband of her jeans and quickly unbutton them, sliding them off of her legs. I pull back, admiring her legs, my eyes scanning hungrily over its smooth curves. I continue to ravage her by placing open mouthed kisses from her feet, my tongue softly tracing the tattoo she has on the instep of her left foot.

“Ohhh my god, Seb!” Vina cries out, throwing her hands in my hair and grasping my strands as my lips continue their ascent up passed her calves and to her inner thighs.

“You smell so good, Vi,” I sigh contentedly, bending my face down to the crux of her thighs, my nose grazing on her panty clad crotch. 

“Thank yo-OHH!” Vina yelps as I dive my face down to suck on her clit, tasting and feeling the wetness, despite the fact that her panties are still on. “Just take them off, please!” Vina whines in frustration. 

“Since you asked so politely,” I growl, as my fingers grab onto both sides of her panties and quickly slide them off. “You look positively delicious, baby!” I say in appreciation and dive right in, my tongue exploring her soaking womanhood in one flat lick. 

I continue to worship Vina by using my fingers to rub slow circles on her clit and licking around her entrance, causing more of her arousal to flood out. As I am doing this, I look above me and see her staring at me before she throws her head back, slipping her hands away from my hair momentarily to slid her bra and shirt off in one fluid motion. After, she puts one hand in my hair and her other hand trailing up her body to massage her now bare breasts. 

“Yeah that’s right, touch those lovely breasts for me,  drăguţă,” I moan, sending vibrations to her core. 

I slip my tongue in her wet canal, losing myself in its silkiness and sweet taste. This causes Vina to buck her hips against my face, her legs to come over my shoulders, and moan my name out loudly. She’s completely uninhibited, spurring my actions on, telling me how good I make her feel and to not stop. I don’t stop. I start to feel her inner walls contracting against my tongue and can sense that her orgasm is close. By now, her hips are grinding in sync with the rhythm my fingers have going on her clit, my tongue reaching that ribbed spot and adding pressure on it.

“Sebastian, I’m coming!” She cries out, her back arching off the bed. And she came all right. Her walls clenched tightly around my tongue and pulsed against it, her body was quivering in absolute pleasure. I place soft kisses on her inner thighs, letting her calm down from her orgasm. 

“Oh my god, Sebastian,” Vina beams down at me “You must really like how I taste..”

“I do!” I smirk, wiping her arousal from my face with the back of my hand for added effect.

“I hardly think it’s fair that I completely naked and you’re still clothed,” she says as I pull myself up and slide on top of her body.

“Then undress me then,” I smirk, placing kisses to that sweet spot behind her ear. She proceeds by taking advantage of my lapse in control by wrapping her thighs around my waist, flipping us over so that she is straddled above me, resting her hips above mine. I have never been so aroused in my life!

 

**~Vina’s POV~**

As I maneuver myself on top of Sebastian, he grasps onto my waist and grinds his hips up against mine, giving into our mutual need of friction. I place my hands underneath his shirt, exploring the broad expanse of his toned abdomen, feeling them clench under my touch.

 

“Oh my go-fuck!” Sebastian moans out as my hips settle on a circling rhythm, increasing the hot friction between us. “Just like that, baby.” I moan in appreciation and continue to wreak havok on his body while slipping his shirt off and latching my mouth onto his chest dangerously close to his nipple. Losing myself in his pleasure and feeling a renewed wetness in between my legs, I grind down harder against his full blown erection, moving in a backward and forward motion. 

 

“You feel so good and hard against me, Sebastian,” I moan out, enjoying the feeling of him hot and hard against me.

“Fucckkk!” Sebastian whimpers as my mouth finds his nipple and my tongue swirls around it. His hold on me tightens and his hips grind harder against mine, causing my arousal to soak his jeans. I treat give the same attention to his other nipple and he throws his head back against our pillows. I bite down softly on his exposed neck and it’s like a bomb of arousal detonated in his mind because he sits up and positions himself so that our bare chests are touching. He is in control now.

 

“Oh Sebastian!” I cry out as he controls that speed of our thrusts by placing his hands on my ass and rolls his hips, brushing against my clit. I can feel the beginning waves of my impending second orgasm coming.

“I wanna come together, Vina!” he moans out, quickening the pace of this thrusts. He continues to praise me: describing how good this feels, how sexy I look bouncing on top of him, and how hard it makes him. All I can do in return is to cry out his name like a mantra, my hands grabbing a hold of his biceps, and my lips against his to drown out his cries of pleasure. 

 

We both get close, Sebastian’s curses laced in Romanian and English and my groans escaping my like fireworks set off into the night sky. At that moment, my orgasm arrives, causing me to grind my hips down one last time, adding that last amount of pleasure needed to set Sebastian off into an abyss sweet gratification. He thrusts his hips up one last time, roars out animalistically and drops his head back  against the pillows, closing his eyes and humming in contentment.

“That was so hot!” Sebastian sighs, his body relaxed.

“It really was!” I giggle as I swing myself over and lay next to his body.

“It’s been a while since I came in my pants,” Sebastian chuckles, noting his half naked appearance, the front of his pants soaked with our combined arousal. We lay together in silence, holding hands before we make our way to the bathroom for a quick clean up. I put on a nightgown and panties while Sebastian puts on his pajama bottoms. As we get ready for bed, Sebastian finally let’s me know why he is able to come back home. I learn that because of some set rearranging, I will be spending my weekend with my loving boyfriend.

 

“Just so you know, Vi,” Sebastian says as we lay a new clean sheet  over our bed “I got tested a month ago, and I’m clean!”

“Oh! Thanks for letting me know, babe!” I smile as I settle myself on the bed, laying next to him. “I’m on the pill, just letting you know!”

“That’s definitely good to know,” Sebastian sighs happily, burying his face behind my neck and placing a soft kiss there. “ Te iubesc, Vina. Magandang gabi!”

“Te amo mucho, Seb,” I say contentedly leaning back against his chest. “Noapte buna, dulces sueños!” 

And we fall asleep in each other’s arms, our bodies tired from the day’s activities. I have a feeling that I’m gonna need as much rest as I can for tomorrow.

  
  


 

Visual Inspiration for this chapter ( _image taken from Pinterest_ )

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, that just happened! ;p I felt that I needed to update before I start school tomorrow. I'll probably post part 2 sometime next weekend. I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter and as always: kudos, comments, and/or feedback will always be appreciated! Cheers! :)


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